A shooting at a Texas flea market killed a child and wounded 4 other people, police say
Members of Brazoria County Sheriff's Department block the road leading to Cole's Antique Village and Flea Market after a shooting outside, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, in Pearland, Texas, near Houston. A manhunt was underway late Sunday after a gunman shot at least five people outside the flea market. The five, identified by police as three adults and two juveniles, were taken to local hospitals, Pearland police said. Credit: AP/Elizabeth Conley
PEARLAND, Texas — Three children and two adults were shot at a Texas flea market, with a 10-year-old boy later dying at a hospital, police said.
Officers responded to a call of shots fired at Cole’s Flea Market in the Pearland area about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, the Pearland Police Department posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The victims were transported to hospitals.
Two others who were hurt — a 14-year-old girl and and 18-year-old man — were in stable condition while a 16-year-old boy was in surgery, Pearland police said Monday. A 37-year-old man was treated and later released from a hospital, police said. The names of those shot were not immediately released by authorities. Police said the 10-year-old, 14-year-old and 37-year-old were bystanders.
The shooting happened after an argument between two people who did not know each other, Officer Chad Rogers said in a Sunday evening news conference. The two people, and possibly a third person, exchanged gunfire with handguns inside the market, police said.
An arrest warrant has been issued for one suspect, David Negrete, 19, who is believed to be one of the shooters, Rogers said Monday. Negrete, who was not in custody, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Rogers said investigators are trying to determine if two of the people injured — the 16-year-old boy and and the 18-year-old male — were involved in the shooting.
On Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that authorities were offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Chad Rogers, public informational officer for Pearland Police Department, gives a statement to the media after a shooting outside Cole's Antique Village and Flea Market, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, in Pearland, Texas, near Houston. A manhunt was underway late Sunday after a gunman shot at least five people outside the flea market. The five, identified by police as three adults and two juveniles, were taken to local hospitals, Pearland police said. Credit: AP/Elizabeth Conley
“Texas mourns the loss of a precious child following the devastating tragedy in Pearland yesterday, and our hearts are with the four other victims in the hospital as they recover from their injuries,” Abbott said in a statement. “The State of Texas is deploying our full support to local law enforcement to ensure the perpetrators of this crime are caught and brought to justice."
The area is about 17 miles (27 kilometers) south of Houston.
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