Three teenagers were shot during a party over the weekend.
About 200 people, mostly teenagers, were reported in attendance at a homecoming afterparty for Patricia E. Paetow High School in Katy, just west of Houston, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Shortly before midnight on Saturday, September 17, someone at the party opened fire.
The suspect left the scene after the shooting, according to Gonzalez, and the case is now being handled by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).
Senior Deputy Thomas M. Gilliland told The Dallas Express that HCSO deputies responded to a weapons disturbance at approximately 11:59 p.m. and found three people had been shot.
“Deputies located one 16 juvenile male who sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to the leg and arm,” Gilliland told The Dallas Express. “Two adult victims, ages 17 and 18, were transported by EMS to Memorial Hermann Downtown listed in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.”
“Investigators have learned there were about 20 to 30 people in the home at the time of the shooting,” he added. “No motive has been established.”
Neighbor Mason Row described the scene, saying, “I just heard a whole bunch of gunshots go off at once. Ran downstairs, came outside, seen people busting through the fence.”
The incident shocked property owner Bolade Abioye.
“I said, ‘Jesus Christ, I don’t know what to do,'” he said.
Abioye said his property was recently pulled off Airbnb, but he was contacted by someone who had seen it advertised and agreed to rent it in a private transaction.
“On Friday, she just called and asked if [it’s] too late to cancel and if it’s okay for them to stay the night —that their family was coming from somewhere, three of them,” Abioye said.
Airbnb released a statement, saying, “The listing was removed weeks ago by Airbnb and all reservations were canceled.” However, the company did not reveal what policy violations led to the removal of the listing.
Katy Independent School District issued the following statement regarding the incident:
“The District is aware of the incident. No student enrolled in Katy ISD resides at the residence under investigation, nor, at this time, has any Katy ISD student been identified as an individual connected to the reported rental of the property.”