A man dressed in what looked like a Halloween costume was critically injured early Thursday after he tried to force his way into a Houston apartment that police say was not his own. The shooting happened at a complex in the 2300 block of Bering Drive, where investigators say the man may have simply gotten turned around on his way home.
According to KHOU 11, investigators say the man who was shot actually lived at the same apartment complex, just in a unit around the corner from where the shooting happened. Police believe he may have mistaken the wrong unit for his own, and they believe he could have been returning from a party or was intoxicated at the time, though those details had not been confirmed as of Thursday.
A Night Interrupted on the Couch
The resident of the apartment that was targeted told investigators he had been asleep on his couch when he heard someone apparently trying to open his front door. His girlfriend and their 1-year-old child were asleep in another room at the time, unaware of what was unfolding just steps away.
The resident said he heard the door handle rattling and believed someone had tried to kick the door before he got up to check. Seeing no visible weapons through the door, he opened it and found a man he did not recognize standing outside. Neither he nor his girlfriend recognized the man, the station's report states.
A Struggle at the Doorway
Instead of backing away, the man tried to rush into the apartment while repeatedly claiming it belonged to him, according to the same account. The resident attempted to push him back outside, but the confrontation escalated. The resident, who kept an AR-15-style rifle for home defense, fired a single shot, striking the man in the upper body.
The resident and his girlfriend called 911 immediately after the shooting. Emergency crews arrived and took the injured man to a nearby hospital, where he remained in critical condition. Neither the resident, his girlfriend, nor their child was hurt in the confrontation.
Investigation Still Searching for Answers
As of Thursday, investigators had not been able to speak with the injured man to get his side of what happened, and the investigation remained ongoing. Police said the resident and his girlfriend have been cooperating with investigators throughout the process.
Much about the man's night still remains unclear to police, including whether he had in fact been at a party or was intoxicated when he mistakenly approached the wrong door. Investigators have not confirmed either detail, leaving open the question of what exactly drew him to a stranger's apartment wearing what appeared to be a costume.
Similar scares have rattled Houston households elsewhere this year. In October, a homeowner's son in north Houston shot a suspected intruder found in the backyard, leaving the man hospitalized with gunshot wounds, according to a KPRC Click2Houston report. For the family on Bering Drive, the ordeal ended with their home intact but a neighbor fighting for his life, and a set of questions police have yet to answer.
