Police searching for man accused of shooting and killing his roommate during argument in NE Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston police are searching for a young man accused of shooting and killing his roommate.

Police said the 20-year-old man was experiencing mental health issues Wednesday night at a house in the 2100 block of Hampton Street in northeast Houston.

Later, he and his roommate got into an argument around midnight, according to HPD.

Police said he shot his roommate several times with a pistol, left the room, then went back and shot him several more times. He then left the scene on a bicycle, according to HPD.

The other people in the house barricaded themselves in another room during the confrontation, officers said. The suspect reportedly held a knife in the home earlier in the night, making the other residents uneasy.

"The people who were inside the home, they hid inside a room. Barricaded themselves inside a room, concerned that he would come after them. Luckily he didn't," Lt. R. Willkens said. "When they finally felt that he was gone, which was like 30 minutes later, they finally came and called police."

Police described the victim as a man in his early 40s.