More than a year after a deadly shooting outside a northeast Harris County apartment complex, deputies say they have the man they believe pulled the trigger.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office announced that Joseph Morris was arrested Wednesday in connection with the May 5, 2024 killing of Cornelius Singleton outside an apartment complex on Aldine Bender Road. Homicide detectives said Morris was identified as the alleged shooter and taken into custody by the Violent Criminal Apprehension Team with help from state troopers. He was booked into the Harris County jail, and the sheriff’s office says the investigation is still very much active more than a year after the slaying.
The shooting happened at the Haverstock Hills complex, a property where residents have for years voiced worries about recurring violence.
What the sheriff's office said
In a post by Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Harris County homicide detectives identified Joseph Morris (born April 29, 1989) as the alleged shooter in the May 5, 2024 killing of Cornelius Singleton (born July 4, 1980) at 5619 Aldine Bender Road. According to the post, HCSO's Violent Criminal Apprehension Team carried out the arrest with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety's Southeast region, and Morris was booked into the county jail.
The sheriff’s post did not offer much in the way of case details and did not list any formal charges at the time it was shared.
Where the slaying happened
The shooting took place outside the Haverstock Hills apartments at 5619 Aldine Bender Road, a large affordable housing complex in northeast Harris County, according to the property’s website and public filings. Renovation and property documents identify the 5619 Aldine Bender address and outline the scope of the multi-building complex, and local reporting has previously documented violent incidents at the property.
For earlier reporting on past shootings at the complex, see Click2Houston and public project records at the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Next steps and legal context
Morris’s arrest is an allegation, not a conviction. Prosecutors will decide whether to file formal charges and will set any initial court appearance. For booking status, custody information, and visitation rules, the Harris County Sheriff's Office provides details on its jail facilities online.
The sheriff’s post also restated a familiar reminder in criminal cases: all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. HCSO asked anyone who may have tips, surveillance footage, or other information related to the May 2024 killing to contact homicide detectives through the department’s tip lines.
