'Someone is dead': Residents alarmed after finding dead body at west Houston apartments

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Jurlisa Gipson says she was relaxing in her living room at the Broadstone Briar Forest Apartments when she heard a single shot.

"I just heard a 'POW,' one little pow, and I kind of got alarmed, but I went about my daily duties," Gipson said.

She says she got ready for the day and went to get in her car, but it was covered in crime scene tape.

"And I see a body on the ground, and I'm like, 'Whoa, wait,'" Gipson said.

By that point, Marguis Dyer had already found the body lying next to his car.

"I (saw) someone laying there, and I kind of was thinking like, 'OK, it was Cinco de Mayo. He must have had a rough little night.' He looked drunk. I didn't see (any) blood at first," Dyer said.

Dyer, who tells ABC13 he still doesn't have a grip on his emotions, felt he should check on the person.

"I walked into my living room, and I (saw) the blood, and I just put on some clothes and came out and was thinking, 'OK.' I walked over and (saw) blood and burst into tears and ran to the leasing office," Dyer recalled.

He called 911 but said he struggled to even get the words out.

"I kept telling her, 'Someone is dead. Someone is dead,'" Dyer said.

Residents said they saw what looked like a teen trying to open car doors earlier in the day. Investigators with the Houston police homicide team told us they did get calls in the area related to that but couldn't say if the two crimes are connected.

What they could tell us is that when they arrived, the person was dead, and there wasn't much in the way of evidence.

"We're unaware of the shooter's identity at this time. It sounds like they may have left the scene, but we did receive descriptions, and we're searching the area for possible camera footage," HPD detective Mike Nicotra said.

An ABC13 crew reported that a woman came to the scene before the body was taken away and passed out. She was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. Police could not tell us if she knew the victim or any details about the victim other than he was a male.

Dyer says it was an experience that he couldn't shake.

"I don't know how to feel right now. I still feel...I don't even want to walk over there. I don't even want to park my car there no more," Dyer said.

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