32,000 guns stolen in Houston; 7 percent recovered

  HOUSTON -- At least 32,000 guns have been stolen in the Houston area over the past five years and only 7 percent have been recovered, according to an analysis of police records published Sunday.

The stolen guns contribute to violent crime and have been used in at least 19 area murders -- and likely more, although records are incomplete.

"They could be still out on the street. They could be in criminals' hands. They just haven't been recovered. In other words, not all criminals will throw a gun down after they committed a crime and run off," said Franceska Perot, a spokeswoman for the Houston field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

"Houston is so close to Mexico, we do have guns that go to Mexico. So there could be people stealing guns and taking them across the border," she said.

The serial numbers of stolen guns are entered into the National Crime Information Center, a computerized index of criminal histories, fugitives, stolen property and missing persons. The database is accessible to law enforcement agencies nationwide. The FBI says it includes more than 2.9 million guns, nearly 320,000 of them from Texas.

The Houston Police Department returned about 900 stolen weapons to their rightful owners in 2010 and another 1,000 last year. Spokesman John Cannon said the department "is committed to reducing the numbers of guns on our streets."

But he acknowledged it's "a daunting task in a city of more than 2 million residents. We arrest more than 100,000 individuals every year. A number of them are wanted on crimes committed with guns."

Records show police identified suspects or made arrests in only 8 percent of the cases in which guns were taken in robberies and burglaries.

Among those who had guns stolen are Terry and Charles McQueen. The Houston couple lost 18 shotguns, eight rifles and four pistols in a 2008 burglary. Four of the shotguns were worth at least $11,000 apiece, said Charles McQueen, who is a hunter.

The McQueens had the serial numbers, and authorities entered them into the database, but none of the weapons surfaced.

"It is surprising," McQueen said. "You would think at least one would pop its head up."

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Body of missing boater recovered in Lake Conroe

  CONROE, TX (KTRK) -- Rescue crews in Montgomery County recovered the body of a 25-year-old drowning victim Saturday.

Precinct 1 Lake Patrol and with several other agencies were on Lake Conroe near Atkins Creek on Saturday night looking for the missing 25-year-old boater.

Officials say he was in a pontoon boat with a group of people when he saw what he believed were two women in the water in distress.

They say the man jumped into the water and never resurfaced.

His body was found in about 25 feet of water, officials said.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Body of drowning victim recovered in Galveston

  GALVESTON, TX (KTRK) -- The Galveston Island Beach Patrol recovered the body of a drowning victim, Faiz Almani, at approximately 2:15am Friday at 29th Street and Seawall.

The victim was pronounced dead by the Galveston County Medical Examiner.

Friends of the victim reported Almani was swimming with his friends at 45th and Seawall, when the group of four began to have difficulty swimming in the deep water. The group began heading towards shore.

A Galveston Island Beach Patrol Lifeguard noticed that the group was out farther in the water than the lifeguard was comfortable with and was proceeding to the group's location to bring them closer to shore. A witness on shore noticed the lifeguard, realized the group was in distress, and entered the water with a float to assist them.

Almani's friends were assisted to shore by the witness and lifeguard. The group informed the lifeguard that Almani was unaccounted for.

An active search for Almani was conducted for over two hours by members of the Galveston Island Beach Patrol with assistance of other members of the the Galveston Marine Response Team (Galveston Fire Department, Galveston EMS, Galveston Police Marine Division) along with US Coast Guard Helicopter and Rescue Craft.

The recovery search for Almani continued until nightfall by Galveston Island Beach Patrol

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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