A shootout at Lone Star College in Houston has left at least three people injured, including two persons of interest to police. A fourth person at the scene was treated for a heart attack. The college reported that the shooting occurred around midday Tuesday on the North Harris campus. An evacuation notice was issued 20 minutes later.
Both persons of interest were apprehended by the police, and have been taken into surgery at Ben Taub Hospital, where they are described as being in “relatively serious condition.” Police have not identified either person as the shooter involved, and have not explained how they were shot. In addition, caught in the crossfire was a school maintenance worker, who was shot in the leg. A fourth person suffered a heart attack during the shooting, according to CNN.
The altercation is believed to have started between two students near the campus library. Authorites from the Harris County Sheriff Department blocked entrance roads to the college Tuesday afternoon while the campus was evacuated. By 3 p.m. Lone Star College tweeted that the situation was under control, but that the campus would be closed for the rest of the day.
“Panic, panic, panic. Some people were yelling, ‘don’t push’ because someone did fall,” a Lone Star College student told local TV channel KTRK in Houston. “It hit home. It’s serious. What you see on TV going in other states, other campuses, other schools, you always say, ‘Oh, I’m praying for the families, or I’m praying for those involved.’
“When it happens so close to home, it makes you think, it could’ve been me. I was however many feet away from being outside. The gunshots were so loud, I still don’t know how close to my physical being.”
One student, Joshua Flores, captured a video of the scene on an iPhone, showing shell casings left behind. Witnesses reported six or seven shots fired in total.
Lone Star College confirmed that classes will resume as scheduled tomorrow for the North Harris campus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imGJHvkwNGI
