Gunman opens fire several times at customer getting service from 24-hour tire shop in SW Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Police Department is looking for a man who shot and killed a customer and wounded an employee at a tire shop in southwest Houston.

Around 8:25 p.m. on Tuesday, officers responded to the 24-Hour Tire at 1415 South Loop West.

General manager Robert Moore said the customer was at the business because he had a nail in his tire. While he was not there at the time of the shooting, Moore said he was told that the customer was pacing, as though he was in a hurry, while the work was being done.

While the employee was crouched down next to the car working behind their storefront, Moore said the gunman ran through the back gate, opened fire, and ran off.

The employee was hit in the forearm but was able to run away. Surveillance video shows the customer falling to the ground, and the gunman continues firing. More than a dozen shots were heard in the video.

"I guess they felt this was the ideal place to commit that heinous crime," Moore said.

HPD said this is believed to be an isolated incident, and the public is not at risk.

Based on the circumstances, Moore believes the customer was being followed to the tire shop and targeted.

"Police didn't say why, but you could see clearly in the video that someone was telling this individual to (come to) this location," Moore said.

Detectives were back out at the scene canvassing the area on Wednesday afternoon.

The suspect has only been described as a man wearing blue sweatpants and a black jacket.

In the last several years, 24-Hour Tire and the other tire shop located a block away that Moore manages have seen shootings and armed robberies.

Moore said the goal of the shops is to service the public around the clock. Still, after this, he said he would reconsider no longer operating 24/7.

"It makes it very difficult for you to be here for everybody when these types of things take place," Moore said. "So you ask yourself '(What) is our true value?' 'Are you valued from the perspective that your services are really needed?' 'Are you just here for someone to think about where they can commit the next crime?' (It's)Very difficult."

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