Grandma killed in drive-by shooting
Police say gang likely was behind overnight slaying
A grandmother was shot to death in her bed during a drive-by gang shooting early Monday morning in north Houston.
Gunfire broke out around 3:15 a.m. in the 700 block of East Sunnyside near McGallion.
The victim, whom police later identified as Brenda Reyna, was asleep in her bed when unidentified suspects opened fire at the home.
The 63-year-old was probably not the intended target, police said. But Reyna lived with her son, who police said is a documented gang member.
Her son was home at the time, as well as her daughter-in-law and two young grandchildren. “They could have easily been struck as well,” a Houston Police Department investigator told reporters at the scene.
A neighbor who heard the hail of bullets while he was watching TV came running from down the street minutes after the shooting.
“I seen the lady in the bed and there was just, there was just nothing I could do,” said Jose Perez, who lives nearby.
Reyna was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The Northline resident worked as a teacher’s aide in Houston Independent School District, according to a statement released Monday.
“We are sad to report that a Jefferson Elementary teaching assistant was killed Monday morning,” the district said. “Our hearts go out to the family and friends of this employee, as well as to the entire Jefferson Elementary School community.”
It’s not clear what sparked the shooting, but police said residents shouldn’t be worried about the threat of other potential drive-bys unless they have gang members in their homes.
Authorities declined to name the gang behind the gunfire.
“We’re not going to give them free advertising,” an investigator said at the scene.
Police are still trying to figure out who the gunmen were and what vehicle they were driving.
Perez said that sort of violence is not unusual for the area.
“This has been going on for a while, up and down this neighborhood,” he said. “It’s sad.”
On Monday evening, a GoFundMe page sprang up to help cover funeral and medical expenses. The campaign raised more than $1,000 in the first two hours.
“Our beautiful kind hearted mother was taken away from us to soon,” the page reads. “She will always live within us and she will be truly be missed. We love you mom, rest our precious Angel.”