Second victim tied to dating website scheme and assaults

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Johnathan Winston will never try to meet up with a girl from the Plenty of Fish dating website again, or at least not for a long, long time. Winston, it turns out, is now one of two people who were allegedly lured to an apartment complex to meet a girl, only to be shot at by several unknown men.

This all began on June 29. Winston agreed to meet a girl he met on the dating site at her apartment in southwest Harris County. When he arrived, the girl told him to wait, and then a few minutes later, Winston says several men came out of nowhere, and shot his way.

"He just pulled the gun, cocked it at me, and I got out of the way," said Winston, who added he probably ran for a mile until he spotted several officers in their patrol cars and then flagged them down.

Winston escaped unharmed. However, investigators now say the same group pulled the same stunt on Philman Harper just an hour later. Harper talked to Eyewitness News a few days ago, and he's still recovering from gunshot wounds.

Both men initially identified Brittany Davis out of a photo array. She is the girl pictured crying in her mug shot. Davis was charged and has been in jail for several days. However, now, Winston and others believe investigators may have the wrong girl.

"It was planned. They were all in it together," recalled Winston. "So if it wasn't her, it was her sister. And if she looks like anything like her, it's her."

Davis and her mother both told Eyewitness News that they believe the younger sister put Davis' profile on Plenty of Fish.

In fact, Davis's 14-year-old sister was home Wednesday when investigators knocked on the door. Eyewitness News was the only media on scene as half a dozen officers went inside the southwest Harris County apartment looking for one of the male suspects. They did not find him, but the younger sister did talk to us. When we asked her if her older sister was framed, she didn't deny it.

"Was it you?" we asked. "I mean, we already talked about this, me and the police," she replied. "It wasn't my sister... That's all I can say."

Multiple sources have told Eyewitness News that another photo lineup with the younger sister is in the works. Up to four teenage boys and adult males may also be involved in the scheme. One teenager is already under arrest.

Meanwhile Brittany Davis, who is still in jail, may indeed be innocent. As for Winston, he's just relieved that the gunmen missed.

"I feel blessed to be alive every single day."