Site of suspected drive-by shooting that killed 5-year-old has history of violence, data shows

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A suspected drive-by shooting early Sunday at a north Houston intersection killed a 5-year-old child and put an 8-year-old in the hospital.

ORIGINAL REPORT: 5-year-old dead, 8-year-old injured in north Houston drive-by shooting, police say

Police told ABC13 on Monday that they are looking for a silver four-door sedan and two suspects who they say opened fire on a street in an intersection where investigators find themselves working crime scenes far too often.

The shooting happened at the intersection of Northborough and Rushcreek at a bus stop when two people opened fire on a passing car with two children inside. One of them, just 5 years old, died. And while investigators have released very little about the victims or the killers, they are working to find answers.

"We are looking for surveillance footage out here, and we are gathering evidence," said Houston Police Assistant Chief Chandra Hatcher. "We do not know a motive. We do not have suspect descriptions."

Police have been at the intersection before, and the neighborhood is familiar with violent crime. In fact, Northborough Drive seems to be a magnet. ABC13 has reported on countless crimes here.

In September 2021, a parking lot shooting over a dinged car door killed a man. His shooting was caught on camera.

SEE ALSO: Cell phone video shows heated moments before man was killed over 'door ding' at gas station

Months earlier, the community held a rally denouncing gun violence after a man was shot and paralyzed. But the violence here is not a recent phenomenon.

In September 2015, at the same intersection where the 5-year-old was killed Sunday morning, another man was murdered in a late-night shooting. And 14 months before that, on the same corner, a woman was shot multiple times in the middle of the afternoon in an apartment complex parking lot.

In just the last month, Houston Police data reveals 25 violent crimes in a five-block area along Northborough, 10 of them in the spot where this weekend's gunfire injured one child and killed another.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is aware of the crime in this part of Houston and across the city. In February, his administration launched "One Safe Houston," a coordinated, research-based approach to combating crime.

The city reports that crime has been down in the five months since its inception. The most recent tool is effective this week. Surveillance cameras are now required at certain businesses, including convenience stores and nightclubs, to help aid police in criminal investigations. It is likely little consolation, however, for a family mourning the loss of a 5-year-old to gun violence.

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