Home invasion in Baytown turns deadly for 18-year-old

Police seek man considered to be person of interest

Baytown police on Monday searched for a 30-yearold man who they believe has information related to a botched home invasion Sunday that left an 18-yearold dead.

Police have identified Jeremy Jamal Wheaton Ardion, 30, of Baytown as a person of interest in the case. Ardion, who has not been accused of a crime in connection with Sunday’s gunfire, pleaded guilty in January to evading police, a misdemeanor.

He was sentenced in 2008 to eight years in state prison after being convicted of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.

Police were alerted shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday to the deadly home invasion at an apartment in the 300 block of South Pruett in Baytown.

Two armed, masked men — including Jalen Cole, 18, of Baytown — are believed to have forced their way into an apartment, police said in a news release.

The occupants of the apartment fought back; police believe they fired shots at Cole and the other masked man, both of whom returned fire.

Cole was hit at least once. A stray bullet also entered a neighboring apartment, where it hit a 44-year-old Baytown man in the shoulder, according to the news release.

Cole and the other masked man tried to escape the apartment, police said. Cole collapsed at the residence; police said he was dead by the time officers arrived.

The injured neighbor was taken to a hospital in Houston. His condition was not immediately known. He was in surgery early Monday, according to the news release.

Police believe Cole and the other masked man knew the occupants of the apartment.

“They didn’t just pick this apartment out of the blue,” said Baytown police Lt. Steve Dorris. “There had to be some kind of purpose to it. We just don’t know what the purpose is at this point.”

Since February, Cole had been charged in Harris County with three misdemeanors — possession of less than 28 grams of a controlled substance, carrying a handgun in a motor vehicle and unlawfully carrying a handgun.

He was out of jail on bail at the time of his death.

As of early Monday, the masked man who was with Cole was still at large.

Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting or Ardion to contact Baytown Crime Stoppers at 281-427-TIPS (8477).