A night out at a Houston hookah bar turned deadly early Sunday when a fight between two groups of men escalated into a shooting that claimed the life of an innocent bystander and left another man injured, KTRK reports. The violence erupted outside of Vegas Hookah Bar, located in the 11200 block of the Southwest Freeway, around 1:30 a.m. after the two groups had been kicked out of the establishment by security.
According to the Houston Police Department, following the ejection from the bar, armed conflict broke out when at least one individual produced a firearm and opened fire in the parking lot, striking a man as part of the altercation and a woman who police say was simply attempting to secure a sober ride home; unfortunately, she became caught in the crossfire and was pronounced dead at the scene, both law enforcement officials and KHOU have reported.
The wounded man was hurriedly taken to the hospital for surgery and is said to be awake and in stable condition, the Houston Police Department indicated, while the victim, a 34-year-old mother leaving behind a teenage son according to her niece's testimony obtained by KTRK, lost her life to a stray bullet. Following the gunfire, the scene dissolved into chaos with individuals fleeing the area, and the suspect, along with others involved, remains at large.
Police have not yet provided a detailed description of those who fled, but their hunt for the assailant continues as they reach out to potential witnesses for information, asking anyone with knowledge of the incident to come forward as they also seek to review surveillance footage from nearby businesses in the strip mall to aid their investigation, details revealed by both KTRK and KHOU.
