Teen shot after fight at SW Houston apartment complex

  Crystal KobzaHOUSTON (KTRK) -- A teenager was shot on a southwest Houston street overnight and then taken to the hospital in his bare feet.

The 16-year-old who was shot is in critical condition this morning at Texas Childrens Hospital. Police say his wounds are very severe and he may not survive.

Police tell us this shooting happened last night at the Little Nell Apartment Homes on West Sam Houston Parkway South near Beechnut just before 9pm. Residents called police after hearing gunshots and when police arrived on scene several shell casings where located along with a pair of shoes. His friends drove him to the hospital and in the rush to get him there they left his shoes behind.

It's not believed the teen lived at the apartment complex and police say they are still looking for the suspects seen leaving after the shooting in a white vehicle. It's unclear how many suspects where involved, but police say an altercation between the 16-year-old and another group of people led to the shooting.

"Some other suspects, he may have gotten into a confrontation with some other suspects in a white car and that's all we know and then fled the scene," said Sgt.Mark Holbrook with the Houston Police Department.

No other description of the suspects was given. Police also say they do not have a motive in the shooting.

There is no word on how many times the teen was shot.

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HFD: Two-alarm apartment complex fire that injured firefighter downtown Houston ruled arson

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Detectives at the Houston Fire Department say a two-alarm blaze that gutted a north Houston apartment complex early Friday morning was intentionally set by someone.

The raging fire was captured on home video. Flames shot high into the air as firefighters worked frantically put out the blaze at the complex on Flecher at Carl. No one was hurt but several units were damaged.

"It was 20 feet up in the air when I saw it and it went out of control," said Alfonso Salazar, who lives nearby and shot the video he sent to us through our iWitness reports.

We were there as firefighters rushed into the apartment complex at about 5am. They were already in the area responding to several trash fires.

"They were busy with these trash fires when somebody came running up and said there's a house on fire," said Joe Evans with the Houston Fire Department.

The flames were so high and the smoke so thick that one firefighter had to be wheeled out on a stretcher.

"Houston arson division will be talking to all of the people and interviewing everybody within the three-block area," said Evans.

He says the fire started on the front porch and quickly spread to attic and nine apartment units. Residents inside worked together to get out in time.

Tanea Perez woke up her mom and sisters.

"My mom and my sisters, they went out because it was like a fire," she said.

And even though they're happy to be alive, many residents wonder where they'll go from here.

"Where am i going to go? I'm going to have to get another place," said resident James Torres. "I've been laid off from work."

Right now, authorities have not identified any suspects.

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Teen fatally shot at southeast Houston aparment complex

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police are investigating after a teenager was shot and killed at a southeast Houston apartment complex.

The shooting happened around 7:30pm at the Green Arbor apartment complex on Sabo Road near Almeda Mall.

To hear neighbors tell it, it was just a Friday night basketball game on the court inside the Green Arbor apartment complex. That is, until the shots rang out.

"I heard seven gun shots ... and then I pushed my grandson inside the house. I told my husband, 'What's going on?' and he said somebody's shooting out there," Eyewitness Toni Green said. "A few minutes later, I saw someone run to his car."

Green says the shooter drove off in an older model Lincoln. Soon, friends and family began to realize that a teenager was shot.

Family members tell us the 15-year-old shooting victim is in 10th grade and came to the apartment complex to shoot hoops with a friend.

Lou Rodgers was a friend of the victim.

"Gunshots were flying. I'm trying to move from the gunshots. Out of all us, one of our partners got hit. He just ran up on us and started shooting at us for no reason," Rodgers said.

As the evening wore on, a large crowd began gathering at the complex, wondering what caused the shooting and why a teenager, who everyone says does not even live there, became the victim.

The investigation is just starting, but Green says there is no excuse for the violence.

"Not again. I just left an apartments where people were getting killed, so it's sad. It's real sad," Green said.

Homicide investigators remained at the scene late Friday night to interview different people, but the victim's mother tells us she's worried that even if people saw things, they may not be forthcoming everything they know.

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest details.

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Police release info in hopes of identifying human remains found at abandoned apartment complex

Items found at the scene include: a decorative gold-colored dental work of the upper front teeth (upper middle); a white wristwatch (upper left); a white clip-on earring (upper right); black hair extensions with a purple ponytail holder; and a white and black hairclip (lower right); a gold-colored sandal, size 7 (lower left); Almost Famous brand jean shorts size 5; and a black bra.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police still have not been able to identify a woman whose skeletal remains were discovered last week on Houston's south side.

The remains were discovered September 17 in the overgrown parking lot of a vacant building at 6303 Cullen. Police found a series of items near the body including a white wrist watch, a size 7 gold-colored sandal and a white clip-on earring.

Police say the woman was between 30 and 45 years old and she had decorative gold-colored dental work on her upper front teeth.

Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600.

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Police on scene of possible baby drowning at SW Houston apartment complex

From SkyEye 13 HD, yellow crime scene tape could be seen across the apartment.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A 10-month-old baby is hospitalized after nearly drowning while being given a bath on Friday morning.

Emergency crews at around 10:30am were called to the family's town home on Windsor Village Drive near Beltway 8 in southwest Houston. EMS crews were performing CPR on the child before going to the hospital.

A neighbor says the grandmother was giving the child a bath, but left for a moment to get some soap, and that's when something went wrong.

"I pray for the family. I pray for that lady, I swear to God," said the neighbor.

From SkyEye 13 HD, yellow crime scene tape could be seen across the apartment.

We are still waiting for an update on the child's condition.

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Boy, 6, drowns at apartment complex

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A six-year-old boy drowned Saturday while swimming in the pool at his apartment complex in north Harris County, officials said.

It happened just before 6pm at the Trails at Dominion Park Apartments in the 200 block of Dominion Park Drive.

According to witnesses, the pool was crowded with kids when the boy went under water.

Officials said another child spotted the boy at the bottom of the pool. The child pulled the boy out and he managed to take a few breaths before being rushed to Houston Northwest Medical Center where he died from his injuries.

Please stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for updates as new information becomes available.

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Infant killed in accident at SW Houston apartment complex

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- An infant was killed in a wreck at a southwest Houston apartment complex.

Houston police are investigating the fatal traffic accident at 9501 South Sam Houston Parkway about 9:50am on Wednesday.

The female driver of a white Ford F-150 pickup truck was waiting for a family member at a controlled access gate of the Casa del Sol Apartment complex. As the baby's mother walked toward the entrance holding the infant in her arms and with an access card in her hand, the truck suddenly accelerated and struck the gate, according to police. The gate swung open, knocked the child's mother backward and the baby was thrown directly in front of the vehicle, where she was struck by the right front tire.

The victim, a four-month-old girl, was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where she later died from her injuries.

Police say their investigation determined the driver was not impaired. No charges have been filed at this time, as the investigation is continuing.

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County pressures complex to clean up or close down

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It's being called a haven for gang activity -- a condo complex in southwest Houston. The county wants the complex to clean up or get shut down.

They claim the complex is a nuisance. Records show just last year, there were 35 theft- and assault-related calls at the Le Promenade condos off Bissonnet. Investigators say a gang is entrenched there.

Some of the people who call Le Promenade home seem to like living here.

"I don't see no crime lately. Everything is nice in here. We are so happy," resident Ms. Gomez said.

But if you Google 7400 Bissonnet, a darker picture is painted.

"I haven't seen any gangs since I've been here. Little kids, if you are worried about twelve-year-olds, then what you worried about," said a resident who identified herself only as Labresha.

But the police log would tell a different story: 50 calls last year, ranging from assaults to theft and vandalism.

This mother of four says she has seen prostitution outside her door.

"Friday, Saturday, Monday, the night and the morning at 7 o'clock in the morning," said a resident who identified herself only as Laura.

In an unusual move, the state and county attorney filed an injunction to clean the place up, holding all the condo owners accountable and asking them to pay a bond of up to $10,000. Worst case scenario, the owners would be evicted.

"The criminal activity must stop at this location and the owners include the individual condominium owners have to adhere to what the law requires," Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan.

"It's basically housed by a gang," said David Hawes with the Greater Sharpstown Management District

Community leaders say gang members are even recruited from nearby Sharpstown High School and gunfire in the area around the school has interrupted classes on several occasions.

"It's a real detriment to the community and to the safety of everyone who even comes through that area so it has to be dealt with," Hawes said.

Hawes says the last resort is eviction and that's not what they want.

"We are responsible and the county, too but right now everything is fine here," Ms. Gomez said.

"I love it here. I don't want to move. I can't picture myself anywhere else in Houston right now," Labresha said.

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Man found shot on staircase at apartment complex

Authorities don't have a motive in the shooting.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police are trying to find out what happened to a man found shot in southwest Harris County last night.

Deputies found the victim on a staircase at an apartment complex on Greencrest. He had a gunshot wound to his leg. He's in the hospital and is expected to recover.

Investigators do not have a motive to the shooting.

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Two-alarm fire breaks out at apartment complex in NW Harris County

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A ruptured gas line helped fuel an apartment fire. And while authorities think they know where the fire started, they are still trying to figure out how it ignited.

The fire broke out around 3:15am at the Camden Station apartments on Antoine near Veterans Memorial.

The fire is out and while no one was hurt, several families were displaced.

Flames were already jumping 20 to 30 feet in the air when firefighters arrived. One resident, who was too shaken to appear on camera, could only watch as his home was destroyed by flames.

"We couldn't get nothing from the apartment. We ran away," said the resident.

"You barely got out?" we asked.

"Yes, we're safe, thank God," he said.

He had only moments to leave, telling us he shot some cell video just minutes after escaping danger.

"The police, the fire department, too, they kicked the door out and they tried to tell us to get out of the apartments, but after 10 minutes, everything caught on fire," said the resident.

Officials say the fire appears to have started in the laundry room. Both that room and a gas meter were on fire when they arrived. The fire then jumped to the apartment units.

Resident Mark Frederick says he put his children's school clothes in the wash and came back just 20 minutes later to find trouble.

"We weren't really thinking until we saw all of the fire trucks and the first thing I thought about was my kids' school clothes burning," Frederick said.

No one was seriously injured, and that's all some residents have left to focus on.

"Everybody's OK. Thank God nothing happened to anybody else," said a resident.

At least four units were destroyed. The rest of the units in that building suffered water and smoke damage.

At least one firefighter suffered heat exhaustion and was treated at the scene.

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12-foot python on the loose at southwest Houston complex

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The residents of a Houston apartment complex came home to an unusual notice from management Thursday evening. It said a giant 12-foot-long python is on the loose.

It escaped from a unit at the Esplanade Apartments, just across the street from Hermann Park. A warning letter was given to residents there. And that's rattling some nerves.

"Definitely freaks me out a little bit. It makes me a little hesitant to go outside," resident Kimberly Stein said. "It's really precarious how it got outside to begin with."

Residents found a flyer on their front door mats. It warns residents of a 12-foot python on the loose and asks anyone who spots the reptile to call animal control.

"I called the maintenance guy this morning and they do believe that the snake escaped from someone's apartment who lives in the second floor; that's why they said. Somebody saw it in the second-floor garage area, but they don't know where in the building it is," resident Wendy Hiester said.

Now some are wondering if it's lurking the garage or if it's camouflaging itself in the lush landscaping.

Everyone there seems to have their own sense of the python, and for some, sleeping tonight won't be easy.

"I'm worried can it get into the apartment somehow, so I think we'll be talking about it when we go to sleep tonight," nearby resident Chase Culver.

A lot of people in the apartment complex are aware of the situation.

We called the number on the flyer but it was an answering service that picked up. They said they'll try to get more information and get back to us.

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High water prompts school, apartment complex evacuations

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Emergency personnel evacuated residents and elementary school students in parts of southeast Houston after Monday's strong storms flooded some streets with feet-deep water.

After quite a day, and an even more interesting dismissal, the students of KIPP Academy all stepped off the bus and were finally on their way home.

"We had to get on one of those dump trucks," one student said.

Trapped by floodwater at their school meant their parents spent a few hours in limbo. Pickup was not only delayed but also moved to St. Francis Church on Reed and Cullen.

At nearby Peck Elementary, pickup for some meant a ride on a firefighter's back across the flooded street.

"They're our savior and I appreciate their help," one parent said.

Classes for at both campuses have been canceled for Tuesday.

But it wasn't just students who needed help escaping the rapidly rising water. As the flood waters closed in, dozens of others struggled to evacuate.

"It started to rise higher and higher," evacuee Cammie Aldridge said.

Aldridge was trapped but chose to wade through it. It took her 15 minutes.

"We made it through, and it was scary. Honestly, it was scary," she said.

Others couldn't do that, like people with children and wheelchairs and walkers.

Arthur Breaux was stuck until rescuers shuttled him out of the dirty water.

"With me being sick, like I am, I was gonna try to walk out myself, but they gave me some help and I appreciate it," Breaux said.

About 25 residents at the Royal Palms East Apartments near Mykawa and Griggs were evacuated after strong storms flooded the bottom-floor units with up to three feet of water. Another 13 from nearby Tejano community center also requested help from emergency responders.

These people have grabbed whatever they could from their apartments and they've climbed onto these elevated dump trucks just to get to higher ground.

"They put us on an air mattress and just kind of paddled us out," evacuee Sharon Roach said.

What's next is still muddy. But at least, they say, they're out.

"I'm going to my mother-in-law's, and then we're just gonna stay there for a while," evacuee Travis Peters said.

The HFD call center says it received more than a 100 calls for assistance with minor water rescues. Most incidents have been due to stalled out vehicles in high water. Flooding is the most common hazard in the City of Houston and the Houston Fire Department reminds citizens of the National Weather Service's safety message "Turn Around Don't Drown."

St. Francis Church has turned into an American Red Cross shelter. About 40 people checked into it to see refuge.

Some residents in the area tell us it floods frequently there, but some others blamed Monday's flooding on construction on the new METRORail line there.

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Man found shot to death at apartment complex

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Detectives have little to go on in a deadly shooting at a northeast Harris County apartment complex.

Deputies were called to the cascade at Fall Creek Apartments last night off the Sam Houston Parkway at Mesa. That's where they found a man on a second floor walkway with gunshot wounds. He died at the hospital.

Deputies say no one witnessed the shooting.

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Community center for townhome complex destroyed by fire

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A community center is cinders after an early morning fire in southwest Houston.

Flames ripped through a community center for a townhome complex on Beechnut near Leawood. Firefighters extinguished the flames within 15 minutes by poking holes in the roof.

No one was hurt, but that community center is now full of smoke damage.

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Small fire breaks out at apartment complex

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- An apartment fire broke out in southwest Houston overnight.

The fire broke out at complex on Beverly Hill at Yorktown. Crews found smoke coming from a downstairs unit around 10pm. No one was home so firefighters forced their way in and put out the small fire they found inside.

No one got hurt. Arson investigators are looking into it.

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