HOUSTON – It’s something many of us have done, knocking at the wrong door looking for a friend or family member. Well, one Houston man did that and ended up shot.
19-year-old Chance Willis’ brother just moved to the Vireo Apartments in Northeast Houston last week. So, when he went to the door and knocked it took him a minute to realize it wasn’t the right apartment but by the time he did a man stepped out into the hallway and opened fire on him.
“My red hoodie is dark red like wine red, and it’s riddled with bullet holes,” Willis explains. He ended up shot in the chest more than once after simply knocking on the wrong apartment door.
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“The bullet grazed right here by my heart, and right here it was a deep abrasion. It went in hit the chest cavity, and came out,” Willis explains while pointing to his injuries.
The 19-year-old has been staying at his older brother’s place since helping him move in days ago because it’s closer to his job where he works a civilian position at a constable’s office.
“He graduated early from high school. He’s trying to go to the police academy. He has a brother who completed the police academy. I also have one who’s a marine,” says Chance’s mom, Costella Willis.
Around 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Willis had just spoken on the phone with his brother who told him to come on in but once at the apartment door, which as it turns out was the next breezeway over, “I go do a little knock on the door and I turn the knob, and it’s locked,” the teen explains.
He realizes it’s the wrong door and heads down the stairs.
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“When I hear the door open I turn like sideways. I’m on the stairs, and I’m sideways on the stairs and I say ‘oh, I’m sorry I have the wrong apartment’, and he let off 2 shots boom, boom,” the 19-year-old explains, and he says the man began to chase him, continuing to shoot at him.
“You send them out there, and you don’t even know if they’ll make it back,” Chance’s mom says while choking back tears.
Costella Willis says she’s grateful her son’s name once again means he’s here with her getting another chance at life. In fact, that’s how he received his name after a close call at birth.
“He’s covered by prayer. He’s still here because God says this isn’t the end of his story,” says his mom.
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“I still wake up, and I thank God because I wasn’t supposed to make it out of there alive. I’m glad I can still talk to my family, my friends,” says the 19-year-old.
The neighbor who opened fire on Willis when he knocked at the wrong door, Mark Brown, is now behind bars charged with Aggravated Assault. According to court records, Brown was taking care of his 4-year-old child and thought someone was trying to break in.
By the way, even as Chance Willis was running for his life, he says, “I was more worried about missing work. I called my lieutenant, and I was like I might have to miss work, but if they finish with me in time I might be able to come on in,” says Willis who had never missed a day of work until now.
