1 dead, 13 wounded in shooting at a Houston family party

HOUSTON — At least one person was killed when 14 people were shot early Sunday during a party at a home in Houston, where police said gunfire broke out after an uninvited guest was asked to leave.

The Houston Police Department began receiving calls reporting shots fired around 12:50 a.m. at a home in southeast Houston, Assistant Police Chief Patricia Cantu said at a news briefing.

Officers reported hearing gunshots when they arrived minutes later, Cantu said. They saw multiple people wounded in the area outside the home.

Cantu said a family party was taking place and an uninvited guest was asked to leave the home. That person is believed to have started shooting, she said, which prompted others to draw guns and return fire.

News video from the shooting scene showed officers outside the home, where folding chairs and tables had been set up beneath a carport and a party tent outside. At least two tables had been overturned. Others had bottles of water and slices of cake on them.

The Houston Fire Department responded and began treating victims in the parking lot of a nearby restaurant. At least one person was confirmed dead, Cantu said, and several people among the 13 wounded were in critical condition and in surgery. She said some victims transported themselves to hospitals.

“It’s still very complicated,” Cantu told reporters. “It was chaotic from the get-go.”

Police detained multiple people but were not certain if the shooting suspect was among them as the investigation continued Sunday, Cantu said.

Police spokesperson Jody Silva said Sunday that no arrests had been reported nearly 12 hours after the shootings.