Four Houston shootings in 3-hour period leave teen girl dead, 2 other juveniles critical
HOUSTON - At least four different shootings were reported in Houston during a three-hour period on Monday. Police say at least one teen girl died and two other juveniles were critically injured.
The first of these shootings took place in the Alief neighborhood of Houston.
"We are grieving we are hurting over the death of a 16-year-old girl," said Kira Walton.
According to her cousin, Kira Walton 16-year-old Mareja Pratt was being bullied by a 21-year-old woman on social media.
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Police are searching for the gunman behind a triple shooting, that left a 16-year-old girl dead and injured two others in Alief.
"Saying she was a prostitute and just messing with her to the point my cousin was crying about it," Walton as said.
Walton says the 21-year-old woman who is not criminally charged told Pratt in an Instagram post to meet her for a fight in the 10900 block of Sharpview.
"She was following her older sister because her older sister was like I'm tired of her picking on you. If we're going to fight then we are at least going to fight," her cousin Walton said. "Mareja didn't even fight. She was just there to break it up."
Pratt was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two relatives of hers were also shot but are expected to survive.
A short time later police were called to a shooting in the 8600 block of West Airport. Investigators initially stated they believe the shooting is related to the shooting on Sharpview but would not elaborate.
One male victim is in stable condition.
Just a few hours later, Houston police were called to the 2500 block of Old Farm Road for yet another outbreak of gunfire.
An adult man was killed and an 11-year-old boy was critically wounded.
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Houston police say the man was found dead at the scene and a 12-year-old boy was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
Then, another incident of gunfire happened in the 5900 block of Beaconridge.
Police say a 16-year-old boy playing basketball was critically wounded.
Violent crime is no doubt on the rise here in Houston, and Mayor Sylvester Turner hopes to change that by the end of the year.
"The plan is to place the equivalent of 107 police officers more on the streets every day to combat these crime initiatives," Mayor Turner said.
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“Right now, nobody is talking about the skyrocketing murder rate and the fact that it is our black and brown communities statistically that are impacted the most by this,” Houston Police Officers’ Union President Joe Gamaldi said.