2 teens shot at short-term rental party in South Central Houston

2 teens shot at short-term rental party in Houston

Houston police are investigating a shooting at a short-term rental party that left two teenagers hospitalized late Saturday night.

HOUSTON - Houston police are investigating a shooting at a short-term rental party that left two teenagers hospitalized late Saturday night.

Shooting at short-term rental party

What we know:

The shooting was reported around 11:30 p.m. at what police say was a short-term rental in the 2700 block of Blodgett Street on the city's South Central side. Officers arrived at the scene and found a crowd of about 40 juveniles trying to leave the area.

Police found a 17-year-old male who had been shot in the abdomen. A second male was found nearby after stumbling away with a gunshot wound to his foot. Both were taken to a local hospital. The 17-year-old is in critical condition, police say.

Investigators believe the shooting was started after a fight between two young women broke out at the party. The fight spilled out of the house and into a parking lot across the street.

Witnesses told police they didn't recognize the shooter or know if he was a guest at the party.

Detectives canvassed the neighborhood, looking for doorbell or security cameras that may have captured the shooter’s face or a getaway vehicle.

The Houston Police Department's Major Assaults Division has taken over the case.

Community members and customers are shocked by the shooting because they deem Blodgett Food Hall safe. 

What they're saying:

Houston police say about 40 teens spilled into the parking lot after an argument between two girls broke out at a party in the area. During the chaos, shots were fired, striking one teen in the abdomen and another in the foot. Both were taken to the hospital and are expected to survive.

Police initially said the party was believed to be at a nearby Airbnb. However, Airbnb later told Fox 26 it does not have any properties in the immediate vicinity where the shooting occurred.

Community members and customers say the shooting was shocking, especially at a place they describe as a safe and welcoming space for the neighborhood.

"It’s tragic that it happened here," Calvin Peete Jr. "But it would be a shame if this put a blight on something that’s doing so much good for a community that really uses and needs it.

Tomaro Bell, President of the Macgregor Super Neighborhood Group, and Calvin Pette Jr, emphasized that Blodgett Food Hall has long been a staple in the area, especially for nearby college students and residents who lack easy access to grocery stores.

" I don't want this to, in any way, stain the Blodgett Food Hall when they fled from wherever they were and led over here. This happened to be a coincidence. It has nothing to do with location," said Bell. "What is really concerning to me is that Airbnb said this wasn't one of their properties, which means somebody was just renting out their house to a bunch of kids and that is unsafe in itself." 

"It’s a parking lot. Young people are going to find a place to gather," Pette Jr said. "It’s tragic, but this could have happened anywhere."

What we don't know:

As of Sunday, the shooter remains at large and no descriptions have been released.