HOUSTON \u2013 Houston police are searching for five masked suspects after a 29-year-old man was shot multiple times while sitting with his girlfriend inside an open garage early Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n
The shooting happened around midnight in the 9900 block of Tiltree Street.<\/p>\n
Police said the victim was shot in the neck, arm and side. Houston Fire Department crews rushed him to the hospital in critical condition. Investigators said he is expected to survive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got one victim, 29-year-old male. He\u2019s been shot in the neck and the arm and in the side,\u201d HPD Lt. R. Wilkens said.<\/p>\n
His 22-year-old girlfriend was not injured.<\/p>\n
Police say couple was having drinks inside open garage<\/p>\n
According to Wilkens, the couple was at the home sitting inside the garage with the garage door open. They told investigators they were having drinks when five people wearing masks approached the property.<\/p>\n
Police believe the group walked along the side of the yard, moved toward the front of the home and then entered the garage.<\/p>\n
Investigators said the first person who entered was carrying what Wilkens described as a short-barreled rifle.<\/p>\n
The armed suspect began yelling at the 29-year-old, according to police.<\/p>\n
That is when his girlfriend ran inside the house.<\/p>\n
Police said she locked herself inside another room and hid because she did not know what was about to happen.<\/p>\n
Fight inside garage ends with more than 20 shots fired<\/p>\n
Investigators said the other four suspects entered the garage after the first armed person.<\/p>\n
A fight then started inside the garage.<\/p>\n
Police believe 20 or more shots were fired during the confrontation.<\/p>\n
Officers later recovered two firearms and numerous shell casings at the home.<\/p>\n
Investigators are still working to determine who fired the weapons. Wilkens said police had not determined whether the 29-year-old victim also fired a gun during the confrontation.<\/p>\n
The victim was quickly taken to the hospital, preventing investigators from immediately getting a detailed statement from him about what happened inside the garage.<\/p>\n
Girlfriend came out of hiding after suspects ran away<\/p>\n
Police said all five suspects ran from the property on foot after the shooting.<\/p>\n
Once the gunfire stopped and the group was gone, the victim\u2019s girlfriend came out of the room where she had been hiding.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the shooting was done and the individuals took off running on foot, that\u2019s when the female came out of the house hiding and found her boyfriend shot up,\u201d Wilkens said.<\/p>\n
She then called for help.<\/p>\n
Neighbors who heard the commotion also came outside and tried to help before first responders arrived, according to police.<\/p>\n
Was this a robbery or was the victim targeted?<\/p>\n
Investigators said one of the biggest unanswered questions is why five masked people came to the home.<\/p>\n
Police have not determined whether the group intended to rob the couple or whether the suspects knew the 29-year-old and specifically targeted him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know if it was a robbery, or if it was some kind of vendetta and they knew this guy,\u201d Wilkens said. \u201cSo we\u2019re trying to figure that out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Investigators have limited information about what was said inside the garage.<\/p>\n
Wilkens said the girlfriend ran inside shortly after the first armed suspect entered, meaning she did not hear much of the exchange between the group and her boyfriend.<\/p>\n
Police also have not released detailed descriptions of the five suspects beyond saying they were wearing masks. Investigators believe at least several were men, but they have not confirmed the sex of all five people.<\/p>\n
HPD asking neighbors to check surveillance cameras<\/p>\n
Investigators are asking people who live near the 9900 block of Tiltree Street to check home surveillance cameras for video recorded around the time of the shooting.<\/p>\n
Police hope cameras in the neighborhood captured the five suspects as they approached the home or ran away afterward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel like we\u2019ll figure out who these folks are. We\u2019re just going to need some help,\u201d Wilkens said.<\/p>\n
Anyone with information or surveillance video related to the shooting is asked to contact HPD\u2019s Major Assaults Division.<\/p>\n
The investigation remains ongoing.<\/p>\n