The Houston Police Department says Damon Spiller, 56, was hit in the head by a stray bullet that tore through a dormitory wall at Harmony House, a low-cost housing option for those with jobs but no place to stay.
Spiller's son, LaCraig Joseph, said his father led a troubled life and was trying to turn things around.
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"(He was) just trying to do better," Joseph said. That's all he asked for; that's all he wanted: to do better."
According to the Harmony House, Spiller recently moved into the facility in April and had a job cutting grass.
"One of our hardest workers by far. Always on time, very focused and resilient," Alvaro Jorge, an accountability coach at Harmony House, said.
But in a cruel twist, the place where Spiller came to get his life together is where his life came to a tragic end.
Police said on Sunday or Monday a bullet was fired from the northbound I-45 ramp on the I-10 East Freeway and hit Spiller in the head as he slept in bed.
"People just need to be aware when you discharge these weapons, these bullets may land anywhere. This could be anybody dealing with this situation today," Jorge said.
Police said Spiller's body was not found until that following Wednesday. Even then, they didn't realize he'd been shot.
No one inside Harmony House reportedly heard the shot.
"We were under the impression maybe he had a heart attack," Jorge said.
The medical examiner later found a bullet wound, and on Thursday, police arrived at the facility and located a bullet hole in the wall.
"How did it take that long for you to check to see where he was or - check on him every day?" Spiller's son said.
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"He's kind of like in his bed, covered up and he has his curtain up so until, I guess, they started smelling something, nobody really realized what was going on," Jorge said.
Spiller's death couldn't have happened at a worse time. He was getting his life back together, and his son said he was also getting closer to his children and grandchildren.
"Getting to the point to where - to where things could be better between us," Joseph said.
Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).
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