Apartment fire in Rosenberg displaces 18 families

A fire in the kitchen quickly spread at an apartment complex in Rosenberg.

  ROSENBERG, TX (KTRK) -- A fire in a kitchen quickly spread through an apartment complex in Rosenberg last night.

It happened at the Pecan Park Apartments off Westwood near Lane Drive around 11pm.

Firefighters say the flames quickly spread from a downstairs kitchen through four units, forcing them to pull two alarms on it. The fire knocked out power to the building. A total of 18 families have been displaced.

There was no report of any injuries.
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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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Suspected shoplifter shot by deputy dies at apartment

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There's new information in the fatal shooting of a suspected shoplifter at a Houston Walmart. Two women have now been charged, but the investigation is far from over.

The shooting happened just after 10pm Thursday at the Walmart off the North Freeway and West Road. The woman killed was found in a car at an apartment complex off Greens Parkway.

Authorities say a total of three women were stealing from the Walmart -- Tiasa Andrews, charged with robbery and assault of a public servant; Yolanda Craig, charged with robbery; and Shelly Frey was shot and killed by a Harris County Sheriff's deputy working security when the trio tried to get away.

"I was right there by my stairway when I heard all the screaming," witness Angel Gaines recalled.

Gaines didn't expect such commotion outside her apartment so late Thursday night, but she soon discovered one of her neighbor's relatives, bleeding to death, in a parked car.

"She said some security officer shot her at Walmart on West Road," Gaines said. "She needed help or something. She was trying to find somebody to help her."

According to investigators, a uniformed Harris County deputy, Louis Campbell, was working an extra job at Walmart Thursday night when two loss prevention officers alerted him to potential shoplifters -- women stuffing merchandise in their purses.

Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Deputy Thomas Gilliland said, "He confronted the suspects at exit of the store before they left. One female wouldn't stop, struck the deputy with her purse, ran off."

Deputy Campbell followed the women to their car in the store parking lot to try to stop them.

"When the vehicle took off, he was standing between the door frame and the driver. I think it knocked him off balance and in fear for his life, being run over, he discharged his weapon at that point," Deputy Gilliland explained.

The driver kept going, arriving at her apartment, where Gaines and her neighbors heard that screaming, wishing they never had.

"You know, there could have been another way around it, of getting her to stop, anything but pulling the trigger," said neighbor Calvin Mitchell.

Gaines said, "I just wish the officer didn't shoot her. I wish he would've just shot her tires or something just to slow her down."

Deputy Campbell is on three days paid leave as is standard protocol. He's been with the Harris County Sheriff's Office for 26 years. The Harris County Sheriff's Homicide Unit, Office of the Inspector General and the Harris County District Attorney's Office will investigate this incident. The case will be turned over to a grand jury.

Walmart offered the following statement: "This is a tragic situation and we recognize this is a difficult time for all parties involved. We're committed to working with law enforcement and providing any information we have as they determine the facts of the case. Because this is an active investigation, any specific details of the incident should come from law enforcement.

We hire off duty officers to provide security to some of our stores. While we have policies in place for our associates to disengage from situations that might put them or others in harm's way, off-duty officers working at a WM store are authorized to act in accordance with their department's code of conduct."

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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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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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Former apartment manager accused of stealing rent money

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A former apartment manager is accused of stealing more than $118,000 from tenants' rent money.

Rosalinda Herrera was working as the manager of Mapletree Gardens Apartments in 2009, according to court documents, when the management group over the property discovered a theft. They confronted Herrera and fired her, and she reportedly admitted taking the money and agreed to repay about $9,000.

Court documents state that Herrera reportedly would offer unauthorized discounts for rent payments that were made in cash or paid in advance. She was said to have changed money orders into her own name, and allegedly made adjustments in the accounting books to cover up the thefts.

When cleaning out Herrera's office, the manager for the property management group reportedly discovered cash and money orders that corresponded to rent payments deposited into Herrera's personal account totalling more than $118,000, court documents state.

Herrera, 34, is charged with aggregate theft, a felony charge. Bail in the case has been set at $104,000.

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Man faces charges after girl says he dragged her into his apartment, then hit her

Gutu Abebe, 27, is charged with enticing a child, and assaulting a public servant. (Gutu Abebe)

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A southwest Houston man faces several charges after a girl says he dragged her into his apartment, then hit her.

Police say Gutu Abebe grabbed the 10-year-old girl off her bike and pulled her into his apartment on Saturday. The girl says Abebe slapped her when she would not take off her pants.

The girl says she started screaming, then Abebe pushed her out a window. Her mother found her.

When officers arrived, they found Abebe in a closet in the apartment. He's also accused of biting and spitting at police during the arrest.

Abebe, 27, is charged with enticing a child, and assaulting a public servant. He's now jailed without bond.

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Man charged for allegedly torching ex's apartment

David Longiness Arriaga, 32, is charged with arson.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A man has been charged for allegedly setting fire to his ex-boyfriend's apartment.

Arson investigators say an August 29th fire at a residence on Scharpe in southeast Houston was intentionally set by igniting window curtains and a couch using a combustible material.

Investigators spoke with the man renting the apartment who said he had been having problems with his ex-boyfriend, David Longiness Arriaga, that same day and that they had broken up three says earlier. The victim told police that Arriaga had been trying to reconcile their relationship ever since.

Court documents state the apartment's owners found two notes written on a bed sheet in the bedroom which read, "I never cheated on you and Rich, I only want u sorry I have to do this." The note was signed David.

The apartment's owner told police he saw Arriaga jump from the second story bathroom window at the exact time the fire started and that the incident was captured on surveillance video.

The victim told investigators that Arriaga has apologized multiple times through Facebook about what he did.

Arriaga, 32, is charged with arson.

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Dad accused of leaving 4 young kids alone in apartment with broken glass

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Houston man is accused of leaving four young children alone in an apartment with broken glass.

Tristan J Brown, 28, is charged with abandoning a child. According to court documents, on Saturday a woman called police to report children who had been left alone in an apartment in the 5500 block of Eskridge. The woman told an officer that she saw Brown, her neighbor's ex-boyfriend, put a small child through the hole of a broken window. The child then unlocked the door and Brown entered the apartment with three other children, the neighbor said.

The neighbor said she saw Brown leave a few minutes later and she became concerned because she knew the children's mother was at work. She told police she went over and found four kids, ages two to six, alone in the apartment. She also says a bathroom mirror had been broken and shards of glass were all over the floor.

Police called the children's mother who said that Brown, who is the children's father, was caring for them, and that he sent her a text saying the kids were alone at the apartment.

Bail in the case has been set at $10,000. Brown reportedly has prior convictions on drug charges.

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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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Man found shot to death outside west Houston apartment

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police are trying to identify a man found shot to death in west Houston, and they think a case of beer may help them.

Investigators are canvassing his apartment complex on Grow near Guhn, trying to find out if anyone knows him.

He apparently lived at the apartment complex, officials said, and they think he may have been on a beer run.

The man's body was lying on a sidewalk between two apartment buildings. A bag of beer was next to him.

Police tell us he was shot an unknown number of times, but once in the armpit.

The motive for the killing is unknown at this time. The victim still had his wallet and cash, but no identification on him.

No witnesses have come forward. Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

Please stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for updates as they become available.

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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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Several families displaced after 2-alarm apartment fire

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A two-alarm apartment fire in west Houston displaced several families Saturday.

The fire broke out around 1pm in the laundry room at Long Point Plaza Apartments in the 1700 block of Woodvine at Jalna.

The Houston Fire Department was able to extinguish the flames, but the damage left at least eight families without a home. Many of them, like Enrique Rodriguez and his wife, lost all of their belongings in the blaze.

"We all were inside the apartment when we saw the fire. We all got out," Rodriguez said. "Now we just lost everything. We had everything in there, so I don't know what's going to happen."

Fire officials believe the blaze started in the laundry room. It quickly ripped through eight units at the complex.

"The fire extended very quickly once it reached the attic," HFD Deputy Fire Chief Terry Stone said.

According to Stone, firefighters were able to save another apartment building sitting just a few feet away.

Nearby residents told us this is not the first time a fire has started in that laundry room.

"It's the third time it goes on, a fire in that room," one neighbor said.

"Oh, they've had this issue forever," another told us.

Fire officials said this part of the city has kept firefighters busy recently.

"I do know that we've had several fires in this end of town on the west side recently where we've had Laundromat fires that have extended into the apartments," Stone said.

No one was injured in Saturday's fire. The exact cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

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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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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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Apartment fire displaces NE Houston residents

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Several northeast Houston residents were displaced Sunday after an apartment fire damaged their homes.

The fire broke out just before 1:30pm on Irvington Blvd. at Soren Ln., right off the Hardy Toll Road near Parker.

Ten units in all sustained damage,authorities said. Two were damaged by flames and eight were damaged by smoke and water.

According to firefighters, all 10 units were occupied. Everyone got out safely, but officials said one person suffered minor injuries from breaking a window.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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HPD: Woman brutally murdered in her apartment

Houston police were parked outside this southwest Houston apartment complex where a 27-year-old woman was found dead after a brutal attack

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police are investigating the murder of a woman in southwest Houston.

They say the parents of Altovise Mahone found her body inside of her apartment in the 14900 block of West Oaks Plaza Drive. They were concerned and went to check on her because they had not heard from her since Thursday night, officials said.

According to police, the 27-year-old was killed in a brutal attack and several of her possessions were taken, including her car.

Police are now looking for that vehicle -- a 2002 red Chevrolet Impala with license plate number BD3-B263.

Family members told police Mahone moved to the apartment complex after she was burglarized several weeks ago at another residence. They said they thought she would be safer there.

Investigators said there were no signs of forced entry at the woman's apartment.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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Renting an Apartment in Houston