SHOOTING GALLERY
A disgruntled lawyer packing several weapons randomly shot at drivers in a Houston neighborhood Monday morning, hitting six people, one critically, before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said.
Three other people sustained jnjuries from glass or debris.
The first report of the shootings came in at about 6:30 a.m., Police Chief Martha Montalvo said, and the gunman fired at officers when they arrived. Montalvo did not identify the man, but some news outlets identified him as Nathan DeSai.
Mayor Sylvester Turner told KTRK-TV that the lawyer was “disgruntled” and was “either fired or had a bad relationship with this law firm.”
Numerous weapons were found at the scene, a bombsquad robot examined a Porsche that’s believed to be the shooter’s, and bomb-squad cops also were scouring the suspect’s residence in a condo complex near the affluent enclave of West University Place, Montalvo said.
Several cars with bullet holes and shattered windows were at a nearby strip mall.
Jennifer Molleda and her husband live in the same condo complex as the shooter. Although she heard gunshots at about 6:12 a.m. and called 911, her husband left for work. Not long after, he called and told her, “I’m hit, I’m hit.”
After the shooting stopped at 7:15 a.m., Molleda found her husband, Alan Wakim, several blocks away in a mall parking lot. His Mustang’s windshield had been pierced by two bullets, 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, adding that her husband believes that the gunman was “aiming to kill.”
Molleda said that a few weeks ago, the lawyer brandished an assault-style weapon at roofers in the condo complex.
Lee Williams, 55, left his home in the neighborhood upon hearing gunshots and began directing traffic away from the complex. One driver ignored him, he said, and was immediately shot at.
“Whatever cars were going by, he was shooting at them,” Williams 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.
Of the nine people hurt, Houston Fire Department spokesman Ruy Lozano said six were shot and three had minor injuries related to glass.