Teen bystander says shooting happened during argument over foot race

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 19-year-old is recovering from being hit by a bullet after he was caught in the crossfire of a shooting at a Houston barbershop over the weekend.

"You can see the bullet hole right there," said Noah Trejo as he pointed to the window of Mean Kutz Barbershop on Tidwell Road.

READ MORE: Argument outside of a barbershop ends in triple shooting, HPD said

Police need your help identifying the shooter who opened fire outside of a northeast Houston barbershop after arguing with another man over who won a previous foot race. Officials said the suspected shooter also shot two other innocent bystanders before he fled the scene.

Trejo spoke exclusively with ABC13 about the chaos that unfolded inside of the barbershop on Saturday afternoon.

"The first shot hit me and I was sitting in the chair and it went through," Trejo said. "My dad threw me to the ground and I started crawling to the back. A couple of kids were getting their haircut and I told them to run to the back too."

According to Houston police, two men got into a verbal argument in the parking lot over who won a previous foot race.

Javan Cummings, 27, was caught on surveillance footage walking away when the suspect fired and shot Cummings. But the bullets pierced through the nearby barbershop windows, hitting Trejo and another innocent bystander, 18-year-old Terence Cleveland.

"Man, that's messed up," Trejo said. "Come on now, y'all arguing over a foot race. We could have lost our lives over a foot race."

The suspect drove off in a black pickup truck and police are asking for the public's help in identifying him.

While all three victims are expected to be OK, Trejo hopes others think twice before pulling the trigger and resorting to gun violence.

"Whether it's arguing over a foot race or something more severe, no one should lose their life over something you are upset about, especially innocent bystanders who have nothing to do with it," Trejo said.

He said it shouldn't be the case, but believes people should have a heightened awareness, because, unfortunately, these type of brazen shootings are becoming far too frequent.

"If you want to go to places outside of your house, you have to be alert ... That's how things are, especially these days," Trejo said.

For updates, follow ABC13 reporter Brooke Taylor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.