6 shot, 3 others hurt in Houston neighborhood; gunman dead
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. A bomb-squad robot examined a Porsche that police said belonged to the gunman; 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 to the Civil War and other guns were found in the man’s apartment.
Authorities first received reports of the shootings about 6:30 a.m., and the man began firing at officers when they arrived. The man had two legally purchased guns — a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun and a Tommy gun — and an unsheathed knife, Ready said. He also noted that there were 75 spent casings at the scene, which were from officers and the gunman.
Mayor Sylvester Turner told KTRK-TV in Houston that DeSai was a lawyer who was “disgruntled” and was “either fired or had a bad relationship with this law firm.” But DeSai’s former law partner, Kenneth McDaniel, disputed that assertion, saying they jointly closed their 12-year-old law firm in February due to economic conditions related to Houston’s energy industry downturn.
McDaniel also said he hadn’t had contact with DeSai lately and that police called him Monday morning to check on his safety, though they didn’t explain why.
“He went his way with his practice and I went with mine,” McDaniel said, adding, “All I can say it’s a horrible situation. I’m sad for everyone involved.”
Calls placed to phone numbers connected to DeSai and his father were not immediately answered. DeSai’s father, Prakash DeSai, told KTRK his son lived in the condo complex and drives a black Porsche. He also said his son, whom he saw Sunday, was upset because “his law practice is not going well” and stays upset “because of his personal problems.”