Man shot and killed in Spring Branch was trying to stop smoke shop robbers, HPD says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man killed in Spring Branch may have been trying to stop a group of robbers at a smoke shop, according to Houston police.

Officers were called to Lighthouse Smoke and Vape at 7550 Long Point Road just after 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Investigators said two or three men had just robbed the shop and were fleeing when a bystander tried to stop them, sparking a shootout. Police said at least one of the suspects had a gun.

The 43-year-old victim was shot once and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

"A bystander tried to intervene. They got into a shootout," Det. Chettry said. "The bystander was wounded and transported to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries."

ABC13 reporter Courtney Fischer spoke to a certified nursing assistant who happened to be driving along Long Point Road, in front of the smoke shop, when she saw the man bleeding, lying in the middle of the road.

She told her boyfriend to pull over and she tried to help the man.

The woman said the man still had a pulse when she was with him before paramedics arrived. She said she talked to him, but he was slipping into a state of unconsciousness.

Investigators are still looking for the suspects responsible for the robbery and shooting.

A man was shot in northwest Houston and later died at the hospital on Tuesday evening, police say.

Police provided descriptions of two of the men they believe were involved. The first suspect is described as a Hispanic male, 5'5", with a slim build. Police said he was wearing an olive green sweater, black sweatpants and white sneakers. The second suspect is described as a Black male wearing a black hoodie.

There are security cameras in the strip mall where the smoke shop is located, but police didn't say if they captured the shooting.

ABC13's Neighborhood Safety Tracker shows zero homicides were counted during two of the last four years in the area where the shooting happened.

However, four homicides were counted in 2021 and 2022 in the designated Afton Village and Pine Terrace area.

Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or speak anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.