Man shot in leg outside Houston bar, bringing spotlight back on crime along Washington Avenue

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- An investigation is underway after shots were fired outside a bar on Washington Avenue early Monday.

The Houston Police Department said a man was shot in the leg during an argument at about 2 a.m.

The man was taken to the hospital, and investigators are working to find a description of the suspect.

A detective told ABC13 they're hoping someone who saw what happened will come forward.

Just a few months ago, Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced a crackdown on crime in the area.

On Dec. 13, Whitmire referred to "barely clad young ladies" frequenting the area while vowing to crack down on crime.

RELATED: Mayor's message about Washington Ave safety overshadowed by comment on 'barely clad ladies'

Since that press conference, HPD's online crime map for the one-mile radius around Washington Avenue shows 140 calls for service in this area, compared to 205 calls from the same area in the same time frame last year.

The majority of calls for both time periods are for motor vehicle theft, but that number has decreased from 101 to 73.

After that, this year, there are 24 aggravated assault cases compared to 33 last year.

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