Five men tried breaking into a house in Texas just before 1 a.m. on Jan. 20, but were shot by the homeowner.
Three of the men were shot dead, with one of the deceased being left in front of the house.
One wounded man fled on foot while the other three left in a vehicle. The car crashed into a pole and a man was later found dead inside. Another occupant fled on foot after the crash and later died.
The two suspects who survived were taken to a hospital.
A neighbor told KPRC that a shootout happened after two men with large guns entered the house and the others pulled up and prepared to go inside.
Police officers described several dozen shell casings in and around the house as they began their investigation.
Another neighbor told KHOU that he was on his porch with his baby when he saw the two men show up with large rifles. The neighbor went inside his house to take cover.
He said that the homeowner is known in the neighborhood as “Flaco.”
A group of women who were crying showed up near the house where the shooting happened and said they are related to the men who were shot. They declined to provide further details.
Officials told KTRK that the homeowner shot the men in self-defense using a fully-loaded AK-47, an assault rifle.
The 20-year-old homeowner said that the men, wearing ski masks, approached his house and busted inside, demanding cash, forcing him to defend himself.
A witness said that he saw two men in front of the home lying on the ground. “I heard around five or six gunshots. I’m pretty sure there were more before that,” he said.
Crime Decreased in 2017
The FBI said that both violent crime and property crime decreased in 2017, the last year that full statistics are available for, compared to 2016. Overall violent crime decreased 0.2 percent from 2016 to last year, while property crime decreased 3 percent during that time, the agency said in September 2018, releasing data from the previous year.
“There were more than 1.2 million violent crimes reported to UCR nationwide in 2017. There was a 0.7 percent decrease in murders and a 4 percent decrease in robberies from 2016 to 2017. Aggravated assaults increased 1 percent in 2017. The FBI began collecting data solely on an updated rape definition last year, and 135,755 rapes were reported to law enforcement in 2017,” the FBI stated.
“The report also showed there were more than 7.7 million property crimes last year. Burglaries decreased 7.6 percent and larceny-thefts decreased 2.2 percent. Motor vehicle thefts increased by 0.8 percent from 2016 to 2017.”
The figures were compiled from more than 13,000 law enforcement agencies around the United States that submitted their crime data to the FBI.
Violent crime increased from 2015, the FBI said.
“The estimated number of violent crimes in the nation increased for the second straight year, rising 4.1 percent in 2016 when compared with 2015 data, according to FBI figures released today,” said the FBI in September 2017.
In 2016, there were an estimated 1,248,185 violent crimes. Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses increased 8.6 percent when compared with estimates from 2015. Aggravated assault and rape (legacy definition) offenses increased 5.1 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively, and robbery increased 1.2 percent.