Houston gunman hits 6
Police kill lawyer to end his attack on motorists.
HOUSTON — A disgruntled lawyer wearing military-style apparel with old Nazi emblems had two weapons and more than 2,500 rounds of live ammunition when he randomly shot at drivers in a Houston neighborhood Monday before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said.
Nine people were injured during Monday morning’s shootings on the street in front of a condo complex; six were shot, and three had eye injuries from flying glass. One person was in critical condition and another in serious condition, officials said.
Houston homicide Capt. Dwayne Ready and interim Police Chief Martha Montalvo did not identify the man and did not have information about a motive.
However, a bomb-squad robot examined a Porsche that police said belonged to the gunman, and Texas motor vehicle records in a commercially available database showed the car is licensed to Nathan DeSai at an address in the condo complex.
The property manager of the condo complex also confirmed that police were going through DeSai’s residence, where Ready said vintage military items dating from the Civil War and other guns were found in the man’s apartment.
The first report of the shootings came in about 6:30 a.m., Montalvo said at a news conference, and the suspect began firing at officers when they arrived. Mayor Sylvester Turner told KTRK-TV that the shooter was “disgruntled” and was “either fired or had a bad relationship with this law firm.”
The entrance to the condo complex, which is near the affluent enclave of West University Place, was still blocked off with police tape late Monday morning.
Jennifer Molleda and her husband live in the same condo complex as the shooter. Though she heard gunshots at 6:12 a.m. and called 911, her husband left for work, she said. She called him not long after, and he told her, “I’m hit, I’m hit.”
After the shooting stopped at 7:15 a.m., Molleda found her husband, 49-year-old Alan Wakim, several blocks away in the parking lot of a nearby strip mall. His Mustang had two shots that went through the windshield, and he told her that he saw a red laser beam before the shots were fired. He was taken to a hospital to be treated.
“He got out of his car, we hugged, we cried,” Molleda said.
Molleda said she didn’t know him very well, and described him as quiet.
“He’s a normal, average Joe,” she said.
Jason Delgado, the property manager of The Oaks at West University condo complex, mentioned two concerns the complex had involving the suspect.
In August, Delgado said, police were called after roofers working in the complex said he pointed an assault-style rifle at them. He said there wasn’t enough evidence to move forward with charges because the suspect contended he didn’t point the gun at roofers. Molleda described the same case.
And last week, the man became upset because of water-pressure problems at his home, asked for maintenance help and expressed his displeasure in an email to the management firm that implied he’d “intimidate his way to getting what he was asking for,” Delgado said.
Another witness, Antwon Wilson, 30, inadvertently drove into the shooting scene after dropping off his girlfriend at work and could “literally hear the gunfire flying.” He managed to flee and escape injury.
Lee Williams left his home in the neighborhood upon hearing gunshots and began directing traffic away from the condo complex, noting that people usually cut through the area to avoid some busier intersections. One car ignored him, he said, and was immediately shot at. Williams couldn’t see the gunman because it was dark, but believed he saw the muzzle flashes.
“Whatever cars were going by, he was shooting at them,” the 55-year-old said, noting he heard at least 50 gunshots over 40 or so minutes. As he was being interviewed, neighbors came by and patted him on the back, thanking him for keeping people safe.