Police are looking for the two men who burst into the home, apparently to rob the place. A 59-year-old woman who lived in the house tried to defend herself, opening fire with a pistol. But, the thieves had a shotgun. The attack happened early Thursday morning off Russell Drive near Trinity Way.
According to our Houston Community Newspaper partner the Dayton News, investigators late Thursday afternoon began searching a car at a Motel 6 along Highway 59 near FM 1960 and questioning two women in relation to this investigation. We don't know yet if anyone has been arrested there in connection with the shootings.
Inside the New Caney home, investigators say a 59-year-old woman opened fire with a handgun on several men with a shot gun trying to rob her in her own home.
"All I know is my aunt put up a hard fight. She shot back," said the victim's niece Betty Willcoxoen. "She shot back so she had to injure somebody,"
Willcoxoen says her aunt was shot at least twice. The 65-year-old man who was with her was also wounded. Both were flown by medical helicopter to area hospitals.
Willcoxoen says her aunt was armed because she was robbed just last week. A neighbor heard Thursday morning's gun battle.
"At about 2:00 this morning, I heard shotguns several times," recalled neighbor Donald Lukaski. "I jumped up and looked. I didn't see anything. And I went back into the bedroom, put my jeans on. And came back out and there were police swarming all over the place."
Willcoxoen says the thieves took from the home a safe with close to $50,000 worth of jewelry in it. The family hopes pawn shops and gold buyers will be on the lookout.
"We're hoping we can catch them that way," she said.
It's not clear how the men got inside. First responders had to cut through a locked fence to get to the victims. The men fled on foot. It's unclear if they were shot.
Investigators so far do not have good descriptions of the thieves. Montgomery County Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to arrests and convictions in this case.
