The shooting happened just after 2 a.m. Tuesday at an apartment complex in the 6600 block of Hillcroft near Clarewood.
Police said a gun battle went from the east side of one of the units to the west side. Investigators recovered more than a dozen shell casings and at least one weapon at the scene.
Police said the two victims were at the complex when another group of men pulled up in a car. When the group in the vehicle opened fire, the victims shot back.
One of the victims was shot in the leg, and the other was shot in the abdomen. As of Tuesday afternoon, police said both men are in critical condition.
Police said nearby witnesses mostly heard the shots fired, but didn't see anything.
"We woke up with the gunshots. We heard like six to 10 gunshots," one person, who feared being identified, told ABC13.
Given the number of shots fired and where the shell casings ended up, investigators said it is very fortunate that no one got caught in the crossfire.
"There's a few in walls. We don't see any in cars, no windows, no doors. None entered any apartments. It was just all exterior walls," Lt. J.P Horelica with Houston police said. "There are shell casings on the scene, and there is a firearm behind me."
The victims are known gang members, police said. One of them was released from prison two days ago.
"Some neighbors weren't surprised to find the blood outside their apartment wall. I don't go out of my door," neighbor Tina Bledsoe said. "I might peep out of that window to see if anybody is out here messing with my car, but that's it."
Numbers compiled by the ABC News data team show specific violent crime in the neighborhood is rising. There were eight homicides in the area in 2019. In 2021, it was 10.
Assaults jumped from 1,287 in 2019 to 1,542 in 2021. As for Tuesday's gunfight, officers have not made an arrest.