Houston police said a father and son were found dead after the son allegedly barricaded them inside their unit.

HOUSTON — Two men – a father and son – are dead after an argument between two brothers at a north Houston apartment complex led to a stabbing, shooting and fire, Houston police said.

The commotion began around 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Garden Oaks Village Apartments on North Shepherd Drive and continued into the night, leaving residents frightened and at least two apartments damaged.



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Houston police said a 20-year-old man barricaded himself and his disabled father inside their apartment after allegedly stabbing his brother during an argument. Police said they believe they heard shots being fired before flames broke out.

The suspect and his father died. The brother who was stabbed was in stable condition at the last check, according to police.

Gerson Nunez, who lives in an apartment above the unit where the suspect and his father were barricaded, described the suspect as aggressive.

Nunez said he frequently saw the suspect carrying weapons and firing guns in the apartment complex’s parking lot on previous occasions. He described the other family members as good and peaceful.

Nunez said his apartment and a neighbor’s apartment were heavily damaged by the fire. He spent Saturday removing his remaining belongings from his apartment, including furniture, beds, televisions and clothes.

Other residents who witnessed the police and SWAT response said the scene was frightening.

“Everybody was screaming, everybody was running, and, you know, everybody was scared,” apartment resident Alberto Gayoso said.

It remained unclear Saturday whether the suspect and his father died from gunshot wounds or from the fire. Houston police Chief Noe Diaz said the medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

“Both the father and the son have been burned because of the flames, so they’ll make that determination once they get to the medical examiner’s office,” Chief Diaz said.

It is also still unknown what exactly led up to the argument between the brothers. KHOU 11 contacted the Houston Police Department Saturday afternoon for an update, but they had no new information to provide.

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