The attempted burglary of a gun shop in Harris County, Texas, left one dead after an exchange of gunfire.
The 79-year-0ld gun shop owner and military veteran woke up Tuesday around 4:30 a.m. local time to find a group of men attaching chains to a car and the doors of his store, according to local news station KHOU. The store owner said he heard a ruckus outside and went to check, where he watched a vehicle pull the doors off of his shop.
After one suspect entered the shop, the owner was noticed by another burglar and fired upon. The elderly veteran returned fire, striking at least one suspect before the group fled in multiple vehicles. (RELATED: Gun Owners Laugh In MSNBC Host’s Face When He Asks About Gun Buyback Proposals)
Seven miles away from the gun store, officers found a man lying in the road near a vehicle. Despite attempts to administer CPR, the man was pronounced dead due to a gunshot wound. Two handguns were recovered near the body, believed to be stolen from the gun store.
Update: a man was just hand cuffed and taken into custody here along Morelos Rd, the scene where a man was found dead next to car, from an apparent gunshot wound.
This scene may be tied to an earlier burglary.
Not sure who this guy is or how he’s connected. #khou11 #htownrush pic.twitter.com/ymyzvWyext— Michelle Choi (@MichelleKHOU) January 7, 2020
Police also discovered two other suspects nearby and placed them under arrest.
Local Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced that the case would be referred to a grand jury.
Update: 79 yr-old military vet/gun shop owner exchanged gunfire with suspects. The owner struck at least one. The suspects fled in vehicles. At the 2nd scene, a male with a gunshot wound, CPR in progress is pronounced deceased. A couple pistols, believed to be taken during the https://t.co/TfNkAD2j8T
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) January 7, 2020
burglary are recovered near the deceased male. Two males are detained at the 2nd scene. The vehicle they were in appears the be one of the vehicles used in the commission of the burglary. The deceased is an adult Hispanic male. Case will be referred to a grand jury. #HouNews
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) January 7, 2020
According to the owner, this is the second time that his gun store, which NBC News reports is located roughly 25 miles northeast of downtown Houston, has been broken into. The first was in November of 2019.