SW Houston death investigated in area where ABC13 Safety Tracker counted 11 homicides in last year

Monday, February 13, 2023
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Homicide detectives have been called to a southwest Houston apartment complex where a man's body was found with shell casings close by Monday afternoon.

The Houston Police Department told ABC13 that officers responded to a call at 2:07 p.m. in the 12600 block of Dunlap, which is near Hillcroft Avenue and the US 90 Alternate in the Westbury area.

Police said the person was African American and may be an adult.

HPD also noted there are no family members, relatives, or witnesses to help identify the person.

Neighbors told ABC13 they heard multiple gunshots from different weapons.

"I heard 10 shots," a witness said. "The first ones, like, were like, 'Pow, pow, pow, pow.' The other five were, like, 'Boom, boom, boom.'"

Police later stated that some type of altercation took place between other men in the complex parking lot when the shots were fired.

"Very dangerous in the middle of the day," HPD Lt. Larry Crowson said. "You've got, fortunately, I don't think kids were out of school yet. Most of the kids weren't here except the younger ones. It is very dangerous anytime you've got something like this in the middle of an apartment complex with people moving around."

There were no other details disclosed early in the investigation.

ABC13's Neighborhood Safety Tracker counted 11 homicides within the last 12 months in the designated Creekbend-Southwood-Fondren Southwest area where police investigated.

In 2022, a total of 13 homicides were reported. That increase stands in contrast to violent crime data from One Safe Houston. It shows that murders, rapes, and robberies across the city all decreased between 2021 and 2022.

When asked about how effective the anti-crime initiative has been in its first year, Mayor Sylvester Turner said, "Hopefully, we can continue to drive those things down, and now we'll continue to focus even more so on nonviolent crimes. But, when you look at murder, rape, and homicides, the numbers are trending down."

Data shows Houstonians are much more likely to be victims of nonviolent crimes, like property and auto theft. Although, each type of theft increased between 2021 and 2022 by 7% and 11%.

Turner said the work isn't over until Houston is the safest city in the country. In the meantime, he suggested focusing on the positive.

"A happy Houston - is a safe Houston. It's hard to burglarize or kill somebody when you're happy," Turner said.

ABC13 is tracking crime and safety across Houston and in your neighborhood. Tap in to view crime data in your neighborhood.
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