Houston flea market shooting leaves 2 dead and at least 3 injured

HOUSTON - Two people are dead and at least three others are hospitalized after a shooting at a Houston flea market on Sunday afternoon.

It happened in broad daylight, just after 1 p.m., in the 8800 block of Airline Drive in north Harris County, a busy area where thousands of patrons visit flea markets for deals, food and outdoor activities.

"We thought it was something like for family, you know you can come with your kids, but with everything, you don’t know," said Dolores Guerrero, who visits the area often. "It’s scary."

Guerrero says she often spends her Sundays in the area, which has numerous markets, restaurants and even clubs open for daytime dancing. She said the shooting happened at one of those clubs, and she and her partner almost visited.

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"We never came to this one, it was going to be our first time."

But before she and her partner had a chance to make it inside, the building was blocked off by Harris County deputies, with crime scene tape and shell casings all over the area.

Harris County Sheriff's Major Susan Cotter told FOX 26 that a group of men got into an argument when several of them pulled out guns and started shooting.

"There was multiple shots fired, and we believe there was probably at least three to five shooters," Major Cotter said.

Two men in their 20s died at the scene, one of them visible on the ground of the parking lot as crowds of people walked by.

Paramedics rushed three others to separate hospitals in critical condition.

"One of the males that were shot and transported is still a possible suspect," Cotter said. "There were two other males detained on the scene and our homicide detectives are interviewing them at this point."

Cotter added that at least two pistols have been recovered.

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While none of the wounded individuals have been charged at this time, an uninjured man was charged in connection to the shooting. The sheriff's office said Angel Flores-Lopez was charged with tampering with evidence.

Investigators are reviewing video footage and searching for witnesses in an attempt to identify other suspects they believe fled the scene before authorities arrived.

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Witnesses told FOX 26 that when the shooting started, people scrambled to find cover, including children and families who were right across the street enjoying carnival rides.

"It’s very scary that this happens in broad daylight," Cotter said. "We’re just very fortunate that there were no innocent bystanders shot or hit."