The masked men shot the grandson and tied up his grandmother and uncle. It all went down at a home on North Wayside near Way around 1:30am Friday morning.
The suspects are still on the run and the 28-year-old victim is in the hospital, fighting for his life.
"And I heard something go Boom, Boom! Two or three shots," said neighbor John Andrews.
People in this northeast Houston neighborhood woke in the dead of night to the sound of gunshots. By mid-morning, news spread that a group of armed men tied up one of their elderly neighbors, ransacked her home and shot her grandson in the face.
"It is kinda scary and dangerous. You gotta be really careful," said neighbor Sylvia Gonzalez.
According to police, four to six men showed up at the door step early Friday morning. They tried to force their way in the house claiming to be ATF agents, but when the grandson refused to let them in, they shot thru the door, striking the young man from outside.
"I know (the victim) well. Very well. I see him every day," said Letha Holmes, friend of the victim.
She works at the church across the street from the home and believes the shooting victim to be the homeowner's grandson, a truck driver with his own company.
"When I see him, he's always respectful of me. So I don't have anything bad to say about him," Holmes said.
She describes the family as thoughtful and caring. She says if someone wanted to hurt them, no one around here is safe. They are hoping it is mistaken identity and nothing more.
"I'm just praying for him, the church is praying for him, and we hate that it happened," said Holmes.
The victim is at Ben Taub Hospital. Family friends told Eyewitness News that he's undergone two procedures Friday but is expected to survive.
Police say the suspects, only described as having Spanish accents, were looking for money. Anyone with information on this case should call Houston police of Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
