Questions remain about gunfire exchange between 2 men during attempted car break in east Harris Co.

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Harris County Sheriff's deputies are investigating after a man says he shot someone for breaking into his car.

The shooting happened at about 11 p.m. Wednesday at the City Cross apartments on Woodforest Boulevard.

According to investigators, the man who was shot showed up at a nearby gas station and was later taken to the hospital. Investigators said a man walked out of his apartment, heard his car alarm going off, and said it looked like a person was trying to break in.

Investigators said, "Something happened," and the two men exchanged gunfire. In the exchange, the auto theft suspect was the only one hit. He ended up down the street at Charlie's Food Mart.

While investigators call the wounded man a suspect, he hasn't been charged, which is why his face is being blurred in this report.

Exclusive surveillance video you'll see only on ABC13 from the gas station shows him walking in and approaching the clerk. He leans over, rests his head on the counter, seemingly in pain, and then collapses.

According to the video time code, he showed up at about 10:45 p.m. Deputies with the sheriff's office arrived about 10 minutes later. Then EMS arrives and takes him away on a stretcher. It's unclear where on his body he was shot, but Eyewitness News was told he is in stable condition.

Investigators say they did find evidence that suggests the man's car was broken into before the shooting.

ABC13's Neighborhood Safety Tracker shows auto thefts are up in this area of east Harris County. In 2021, there were 247 auto thefts reported. In 2022, that number jumped to 331, and then it climbed again to 340 in 2023.

The alleged shooter was not arrested, just questioned. Investigators say they just wanted to know what happened.