Houston police provide update on shooting near Welch Middle School
A teenager was injured in a shooting down the street from Houston ISD’s Welch Middle School.
HOUSTON – An innocent teenage bystander was shot when a suspect opened fire on another teen down the street from Welch Middle School on Wednesday morning, police say.
The teen who was injured in the shooting was not a student at the school, but police say the intended target was a Welch Middle School student.
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The district says the school was placed on secure mode as a precaution, but the students are safe and the school is secure.
The shooting occurred around 7:51 a.m. Wednesday near S. Gessner and W. Belfort, but police believe the incident stemmed from a dispute the previous day between two juveniles.
According to police, on Wednesday, the suspect located the teen, and at some point, began shooting at him. Police say the teen took off running westbound on S. Gessner and ended up near a business strip center at the intersection with W. Belfort.
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At that intersection, police say the suspect started shooting at the teenager across the street, but instead ended up shooting a 14-year-old boy who was the passenger in a pickup truck that was traveling down the road.
That wounded teen bystander was taken to the hospital, and was last reported to be in stable condition.
According to police, the teen who was shot at ran to Welch Middle School, where he is a student, and told the principal what happened. He was not injured.
The school was placed in secure mode as a precaution.
Police say they are still searching for the suspect in the shooting, who is believed to be 14 to 16 years old. They did find the vehicle he was in, which police say was reported stolen.
Anyone with information is asked to call HPD Major Assaults 713-308-8800 or speak anonymously with Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
