17-year-old dead, another injured after shooting at southeast Houston park

Teen killed in Houston park shooting

An investigation is underway after a deadly shooting that killed a teen and injured another person in southeast Houston Thursday night. FOX 26's Sherman Desselle shares the case details so far and what a resident and an advocate had to say about teen violence.

HOUSTON - A late-night shooting at a park in southeast Houston left a 17-year-old boy dead and another teenager hospitalized, sparking a plea from neighbors and community advocates for parental intervention as summer violence begins to spike.

Shooting at park kills 1

What we know:

Around 11:30 p.m., Houston Police Department Lieutenant Ali says officers with the southeast division received a call about a shooting on Oak Vista Street. Officials believe two groups had arrived at the park for a meetup.

Officers arriving at the scene found a 17-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the chest and a 19-year-old male with a gunshot round to the arm.

Both victims were taken to nearby hospitals. However, the 17-year-old was later pronounced dead.

The second victim is expected to recover.

One person has been detained for questioning. Lt. Ali said. Two firearms were recovered at the scene.

The HPD Homicide Division is investigating.

What we don't know:

At this time, police are unsure what the park meetup was for.

Investigators have not yet identified the suspects, though witnesses reported seeing a gray Chevrolet Impala fleeing the scene.

What you can do:

Houston police are asking anyone with information regarding the shooting or the Gray Impala to contact one of the following agencies:

• HPD Homicide Division: 713-308-3600
• Crime Stoppers: 713-222-TIPS (8477)

Courtesy of OnScene TV Houston

‘Behind a little bit of nothing’

Local perspective:

For residents of the neighborhood, the violence was a close encounter. One neighbor, who asked not to be identified out of fear for her family’s safety, described diving for cover as bullets flew past her home. 

"That’s the scariest thing ever," she said. "You immediately think you’re going to eventually hear your kids scream because a bullet has hit them. You just grab them... and you knock them down on the floor so that they don’t get shot." 

The neighbor said the mother of one of the victims arrived at the scene shortly after the police, under the impression her son was attending night school. The incident highlights a growing disconnect, according to Reginald "OG1" Gordon, a longtime youth advocate and former gang member. 

"If we don’t educate the parents on what the kids are dealing with, we’re losing the battle," Gordon said. "Until grown folks stand up, our children will never sit back down." 

Deadly shooting at Houston park raises safety concerns | Houston Live & Local

A 17-year-old was killed and a 19-year-old was injured during a "meetup" at a southeast Houston park Thursday night. FOX 26's Sherman Desselle spoke to residents near the scene who says the shooting highlights concerns regarding safety for kids and security at the park.

Frustration in the neighborhood has reached a tipping point. Some residents said they have taken it upon themselves to lock the gates of the local park at night because city resources for patrolling the area have been stretched thin. However, they say the effort often backfires, pushing criminal activity directly onto residential streets. 

"It helped, but then it made other people park right in front of our house, and the crime would just get closer," the neighbor said. "So you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t." 

Gordon warned that without more structured summer programming and trauma-informed training centers, the seasonal surge in youth violence will continue to claim lives over trivial disputes. 

"90 percent of the killings that these kids are doing are behind a little bit of nothing," Gordon said. "We have to rebuild our trust, rebuild a relationship back with our children so they can have our confidence that we’re going to lead them in the right direction."