A quiet night out at a suburban Houston sports bar turned into chaos early Sunday when a gunman opened fire on unsuspecting patrons, killing one person and injuring five others before vanishing into the night.
Authorities have launched an urgent manhunt for the suspect, who fled the scene in a white full-size van with no side windows, according to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office.
The shooting erupted around 2:30 a.m. at the Alas Locas Sports Bar in Cleveland, about 45 miles northeast of Houston. Witnesses told investigators the gunman had been sitting alone inside the bar for nearly an hour, quietly drinking and keeping to himself.
“He wasn’t talking to anyone. He just sat there, calm, almost like he was waiting,” Capt. David Myers of the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office told ABC’s Houston affiliate KTRK.
Without warning, the suspect stepped outside, returned to the bar’s patio, and unleashed a barrage of gunfire with what police believe was a .40- or .45-caliber handgun.
Shell casings recovered from the scene suggest the shooter fired at least 20 rounds, Myers said. “It was chaos. People were screaming and trying to hide under tables. Others ran for their lives,” one witness told local reporters.
Security footage captured the attack, and investigators are reviewing the video frame by frame in hopes of identifying the suspect.
One man, who was enjoying the night out with his wife, was critically wounded and airlifted to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. He later died from his injuries, officials confirmed.
Five others — four men and one woman — were shot during the rampage. Two remain in critical condition. “The families are devastated. These were people just out having fun,” Myers said.
This marks the second mass shooting at a Houston-area bar this year. On March 23, six people were shot at Latinas Sports Bar in southwest Houston. Authorities later arrested 25-year-old Venezuelan national Jose Miguel Briceno, accusing him of opening fire during what prosecutors described as a violent gang turf war.
Federal investigators believe that shooting was tied to the Anti-Tren transnational criminal organization, which has been linked to drug trafficking and violent crimes across the Houston area.
In June, federal prosecutors unsealed a sweeping indictment against Briceno and 15 other Venezuelan nationals on weapons and trafficking charges. FBI Houston Special Agent Douglas Williams called it “the largest takedown of suspected Anti-Tren members and associates so far.”
While investigators have not confirmed a motive for Sunday’s shooting, sources say law enforcement isn’t ruling out gang-related activity. “We’ve seen how fast these disputes escalate,” a federal law enforcement source told reporters.
As of Sunday afternoon, the gunman remains on the run. Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office immediately.
“This suspect is considered armed and dangerous,” Myers warned. “We need the public’s help to get him off the streets.”
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Just a Democrat junkie doing his usual ‘thing’… murdering people… Democrats’ Party has no problem with that…
Really hope that the person is a disgruntal repubelican that has gotten fed up with this recent b s that’s taking place in this country. I truly send sympathy/condolences to all the people that were involved in this senseless tragedy.