13 Investigates increase in game-day crime near Astros ballpark

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston police on Monday put 34-year-old Gerald Wayne Williams in handcuffs, accusing him of the July 6 shooting death of David Castro during a road rage incident.

Castro was just 17 years old when he was killed as he was leaving an Astros game with his family.

"We were so excited. His favorite player, (José) Altuve, hit a home run," the teen's dad, Paul Castro, said earlier this month. "(We) walked out, we were on top of the world. Now we're not."

RELATED: Gerald Williams charged in road rage shooting that killed teen after Astros game

As violent crime increased over the last year, 13 Investigates honed in on crime near Minute Maid Park to see how it compares to the last non-pandemic season in 2019.

From stolen cars to break-ins, 13 Investigates found crime is up near Minute Maid Park, especially on game days.

Overall crime in the few blocks on every side of Minute Maid is up 16% compared to 2019. It's even worse on game days, where crime is up 31% this year compared to 2019.

INTERACTIVE: Take a closer look at Game Day crime near the Astros stadium. The red dots indicate crimes that were reported on game days and the yellow dots happened when there weren't home games. On mobile device? Click here for a full screen experience.

Our look at crime data showed three aggravated assaults and one murder during home game days this year in the blocks immediately surrounding the ballpark. Non-fatal shootings are usually categorized as an aggravated assault which can also include stabbings, beatings and serious fights.

Motor vehicle thefts more than doubled, from just six in 2019 in the blocks surrounding the ballpark to 17 this year on game days, according to our 13 Investigates analysis. There were also 17 simple assaults this year on game day - more than twice what it was in 2019.

For the latest investigations, follow Ted on Facebook and Twitter.

Have a tip for Ted Oberg? A problem to solve? Get in touch with us on our tip page, or send a tip below. (On mobile? You can open our form by tapping here.)