A late-night party at a short-term rental in Houston’s Greater Third Ward ended in gunfire Saturday, leaving two 17-year-olds wounded and a neighborhood rattled, police said.
According to investigators, a fight broke out inside the rental house and then spilled into a nearby parking lot, where someone pulled a gun and started shooting shortly before midnight. One 17-year-old boy was shot in the abdomen and rushed to the hospital in critical condition, while another teen was hit in the foot and also taken for treatment. The suspected shooter took off before officers arrived and remains on the loose as detectives process the scene and interview witnesses.
Officers were called to the 2700 block of Blodgett Street around 11:30 p.m., where they found a crowd gathered around the critically injured teen, according to KTRK. KHOU reports both victims are 17-year-old males and were taken to nearby hospitals.
Investigators told Click2Houston the fight started inside an Airbnb rental and "moved over to a parking lot across the street," where shots were fired. Police estimated there were dozens of mostly juvenile partygoers, roughly 40 to 70 attendees in all, according to the Houston Chronicle. Detectives are reviewing surveillance video from the area in hopes of identifying the shooter.
This latest shooting adds to a troubling pattern of violence at unsanctioned teen hangouts in the Houston area. In December 2024, two teenagers were killed in a shooting at a makeshift club, authorities reported to AP News. Law enforcement and community leaders have repeatedly warned that large, unregulated gatherings can spiral out of control quickly and make it far more difficult to track down whoever pulls the trigger.
How To Help Police Identify Shooter
Houston police are urging anyone who was at the party, or who has cell phone or security video from the area, to contact the Houston Police Department's Major Assaults Division or Crime Stoppers, investigators told Click2Houston. Officers say those tips and videos could be crucial to identifying the shooter and moving the investigation forward.
