Man found shot 20 times at SW Houston motel parking lot

Mycah Hatfield Image
Saturday, May 23, 2020
Man shot 20 times in SW Houston
The victim was a man in his mid-20s, according to detectives.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man found shot to death outside a vehicle in southwest Houston was likely shot 20 times, according to investigators.

It happened around 3:00 a.m. Saturday at the entrance of the Fondren Inn parking lot in the 13200 block of Fondren Road.

The victim, a man thought to be in his mid-20s, was found slumped outside of the driver's door of a gold Ford Taurus. Detectives said they believe he may have been shot further down Fondren and his car stopped at the motel.

People at a gas station nearby reported hearing gunshots, investigators said. It wasn't yet known what exactly happened or who the victim was.

The car the victim was driving was riddled with bullets. Detectives said it is registered to someone other than the victim. They are working to locate that person who they hope will be able to identify the man shot.

Despite the unusual number of wounds, detectives told ABC13 they only found one shell casing at the scene.

"It could have been one of those deals where the vehicle was shot in a drive-by manner," Sgt Cullen Duncan with Houston Police homicide said. "The shell casings could be inside the vehicle that did the drive-by. It's hard to tell which shot may have taken his life, because he's been shot so many times. He's outside of the vehicle. It's not exactly clear cut as far as that's concerned."

Detectives said it appears there are surveillance cameras pointing in the direction of the Fondren Inn where the car stopped.

A suspect has not been identified. The original 911 caller reported a man running behind nearby businesses. Detectives have not yet confirmed that to be true.

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