Two people were killed in a shooting at a flea market in north Harris County, according to the sheriff’s office.
At about 1 p.m., deputies responded to a shooting at Latia Pancha in the 8800 block of Airline Drive where multiple people were shot, according to deputies.
Two Hispanic men were found dead at the scene, authorities said. Three other Hispanic men were rushed to the hospital in critical condition with gunshot wounds.
Update 2: a busy Sunday at the flea market w thousands of patrons when this incident went down. For now, it appears the wounded were all likely participants in the altercation, no innocent bystanders injured as far as we know. At least 2 pistols recovered, multiple shots fired. https://t.co/pzsNIQMQfe
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) May 15, 2022
Deputies said the shooting stemmed from an argument involving everyone who was injured. No innocent bystanders were hurt, despite hundreds of people at the flea market.
“There is a lot of people up and down Airline here, just trying to come out and enjoy the flea market, have something to eat and something to drink, so it’s very tragic,” Major Susan Cotter with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said.
Investigators believe suspects fled the scene just before officers arrived. Video from the scene is being reviewed and authorities are searching for witnesses in an attempt to identify people involved.
Family members identified one of the victims who died as 29-year-old Juan Romero.
His sister, Yeraldi Romero, said her older brother was going to the flea market to enjoy his Sunday, like any other weekend. According to Yeraldi, Juan was with their cousin, who is one of the three injured at the hospital. She wants to know how a day at the flea market turned into such tragedy.
“This tragedy happened and I don’t know why,” Yeraldi said. “He always made everyone laugh, very happy, joyful, so it just really hurts because he’s my older brother and I look up to him. It’s very hard.”
No charges have been filed against any of the surviving victims.
An un-injured man identified as Angel Flores-Lopez was charged with tampering with evidence for his role in the shooting, according to the sheriff’s office.
If you know any information regarding the incident, you are urged to contact Harris County Sheriff’s Office or CrimeStoppers of Houston.