On Tuesday, July 1, a suspected was detained by Houston authorities after firing shots in a local HEB grocery store. According to Click2Houston, a verbal confrontation between two men at the store reportedly escalated, leading to one of them firing shots in the direction of the other. One men fled the scene, while the alleged shooter surrendered to local authorities. No one was injured in the incident.
In an official statement, HEB acknowledged the shooting in a public statement:
"At H-E-B, our top priority is to uphold and protect the safety and security of our Partners (employees) and customers. Law enforcement has determined there were no injuries and no further issues. The store will reopen shortly. Any further questions should be directed to law enforcement."
According to Fox, authorities have not confirmed whether the suspected gunman in the HEB incident will be facing charges. However, they have noted that the man is co-operating with the investigation. Meanwhile, authorities have stated that it was an isolated incident, and that there is no further threat to HEB shoppers at this time. Houston officers have not publicly disclosed the names of those involved.
The timeline of the HEB shooting
According to Houston authorities, the shooting occured at an HEB in the 10919 block of Louetta Road and Vintage Park Boulevard. Authorities said that the argument began in aisle three, the pasta aisle of the grocery store. The exact nature of the argument remains unknown. However, the suspect supposedly fired at least two shots within the confines of the store.
As noted by Mayor John Nanny of the Harris County Sheriff's Department, there were initial concerns that officials may be dealing with an active shooter situation:
"There was probably more than 40 law enforcement officers here. We were on scene quickly. A big response, a large response, it’s good to see."
Nanny added:
"We don’t know what the disturbance was based on (...) We don’t want shootings to take place in public venues like this," said Nanny. "There’s a lot of people here. There’s a lot of opportunity for people to be injured, just innocent bystanders."
At approximately 4:29 pm, authorities reported that they had detained the suspect. They said that while the incident was isolated, civilians should avoid the area as a precaution. Danielle Jenkins, a regular at the grocery store, expressed her shock at the incident, telling Fox reporters:
"For me, it’s really scary. I come here literally once a week. I live five minutes from here. It’s pretty scary to come and can’t get into the store because something so major."
According to Houston authorities, there was a third man at the scene who is not suspected of any wrongdoing. However, officials have requested that the individual come in to shed light on the shooting.