Alleged gunman charged in three killings
Houston authorities say the pandemic impacts drug trade
Three people are dead following an hourlong shooting spree in southwest Houston and authorities believe a shortage of illicit drugs caused by the coronavirus pandemic was a factor in the violence.
Joshua Kelsey, 35, was arrested Thursday morning in connection with the slaying of three men Wednesday night at three locations. He has been charged with one count of murder and capital murder, court records show.
Troy Finner, executive assistant chief of Houston Police Department, said the crime spree was drug-related and that all of the men involved — including the victims — knew each other.
“There’s a shortage of drugs on these streets,” Finner said. “Drug rips, drug disputes are really pushing the homicides in our city.”
Police have so far investigated 120 homicides in 2020, a 49 percent increase from the same time last year, authorities said.
During a news conference, Finner detailed the chaotic events along a 9-mile path through the Almeda area. The suspect fired on two men during a “confrontation over drugs” around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday in the 14200 block of Bridgeport Road.
One man was shot and killed and the other was hospitalized, Finner said. The two were not identified.
The gunman carjacked a Kia Forte and drove about 4 miles to the next home in the 5200 block of Kelling Street. By 8:36 p.m., he had broken into a home there and gunned down a 60-year-old man inside, police said. The victim was identified as Michael Miller, according to medical examiner records.
The gunman moved on to another residence at the 13500
block of Hooper and knocked on the door. He walked in and fatally shot a man in his 40s, identified as Juan Garcia, records show.
Hours later, Kelsey was apprehended after a chase while driving the stolen Kia, police said.
Kelsey has a scattering of misdemeanor marijuana possession charges dating back to 2004. In 2018, he was arrested on a cocaine possession charge , but it was dismissed as he pleaded guilty to theft. In that incident, Kelsey was accused of stealing several rims off of a man's car.
A Houston police officer wrote in the criminal complaint that Kelsey is in the HPD gang tracker database, but the document does not detail his affiliations.
Details on Kelsey’s role in Wednesday’s purported drug deal — and which narcotic was involved — were not disclosed.
Sammy Parks, Drug Enforcement Administration special agent, mirrored Finner’s remarks on the shortage of drugs. He said the coronavirus is impacting the illegal drug trade in the Houston area based on the increase in pricing, citing their intelligence operations. This trend applies to methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and heroin — all of which have shown a pricing uptick.
Parks said price gouging could be happening as well. For example, the bulk cost of meth from Mexico has increased by 25 percent to 30 percent from pre-coronavirus pricing.
But the conclusion is that there is a decrease in available illicit products, Parks said.
“Drug cartels who are responsible for supplying the bulk of the product in the Houston area, they’re having problems transporting across the border because of the pandemic,” Parks said.
In the case of methamphetamine, Parks said Mexico manufacturers have been unable to obtain their normal chemical supply from China, where the novel coronavirus originated.
“Social distancing orders have changed drug trafficking in the Houston area,” Parks said. “We won’t have a true sense of the impact for some time.”