Harris County sheriff's deputies say the bullets started flying around 1:30am inside a unit at the Autumn Lakes apartments just minutes after gunmen barged through the door. Some neighbors, who asked not to be identified, heard the commotion and another neighbor went to get help.
"She said she heard the gunshots and she went to see if the man was OK," said one nearby resident. "When she went down there, his face was face down."
Deputies say the victim, who was between 45 and 50 years old, was shot and killed. Authorities say he lived alone. Neighbors say the father, who was quiet and kept to himself, had been robbed before and they believe he may have been trying to prevent another robbery.
One neighbor says though sad, it doesn't come as a surprise, especially after something she experienced a few months back.
"Someone walked up behind me and put a gun to my head and told me to give them my purse," said neighbor Jessica Diedrick.
With dozens of children living at the complex, some parents are saying they are on edge. Others say they are making plans.
"I told my daughter we are going to move and she said, 'Good,'" said one resident.
"This is bad, really bad," said another.
Police say the victim's apartment was ransacked, according to the sheriff's office, as if the suspects were looking for something. Authorities believe robbery may have been a motive but right now they say they do not believe this was drug-related. But they say they are not ruling out anything.
Authorities do not have any suspects and they are asking anyone with any information to call the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
