Houston/ Crime & Emergencies

Houston Horror as Man Sentenced to Life for Daylight Rampage of 'Hunting Humans

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Published on December 12, 2023
Houston Horror as Man Sentenced to Life for Daylight Rampage of 'Hunting HumansSource: Google Street View

A Houston man has been condemned to a life sentence after a 2021 rampage that left one man dead and a community in terror, officials said. Andra Foster, 46, was found guilty in the fatal shooting of Guadalupe Martinez, 28, and the ensuing shootout with police in Independence Heights. In a trial that laid bare the harrowing violence sprawling into broad daylight, Foster's actions were described by Assistant District Attorney Heather Axline as akin to "hunting human beings," according to a report by the Click2Houston.

The confrontation began after Foster, clad in blue overalls and a yellow shirt, was seen leaving his mother's house to quickly follow and wave a pistol as he walked down the street. He arrived at the intersection of the 8400 block of North Main, where Martinez sat in his car at a standstill. Without warning or knowing his victim, Foster opened fire on Martinez, who was pronounced dead after paramedics could not immediately tend to him due to the threat Foster still posed, Houston Chronicle reports indicate.

"This is tragic not just for the family who lost a loved one, but for the entire community that he threatened," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement obtained by Click2Houston. According to Ogg, the "appropriate result" for Foster's conviction is to be imprisoned for life. Prosecutors at the trial described a scene of horror as Foster chased the passenger of Martinez’s car into a nearby store, brandishing his weapon before returning to his mother's home, where police would confront him in an intense exchange of gunfire.

Upon his arrest, Foster was rushed to the hospital after being shot by the police. During his trial, Foster told the court that he would not have put down his gun if he had not been shot. The shooting was thoroughly investigated and led to Foster's indictment, with the officers involved being cleared of any wrongdoing. State District Judge Robert Johnson sentenced Foster to life, with eligibility for parole only after serving no less than 30 years, as reported by Click2Houston.

Foster, with criminal records dating back to 1994, mostly for drug crimes, had terrorized the neighborhood on previous occasions, according to witnesses, said the Houston Chronicle.