http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/4670424.html
Houston & Texas News
March 28, 2007, 11:22PM
Man shot to death on Metro bus
Preacher also shot in his home, bringing 5-day homicide toll to 11
By ROBERT CROWE and MIKE GLENN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
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At least 11 slayings have occurred in Houston since Saturday, and the latest came Wednesday when a Metro bus passenger shot another passenger who had bumped into him, police said.
The victim and suspect apparently got into an argument while the suspect was trying to get off the bus in the 11700 block of Westheimer, Houston police said.
The suspect, who had a license to carry a concealed handgun, shot the other man in front of about 30 passengers at about 11:30 a.m., police said.
"Murder charges are pending, but we will present it to the district attorney, and it's likely that charges will be accepted," said Capt. Dale Brown of the Houston Police Department Homicide Division. "It's also possible it will be referred to a grand jury."
In another slaying on Wednesday, police said armed robbers entered a preacher's home in the 14500 block of Ameece and killed him.
Perry O'Neal, an itinerant preacher and carpenter who came to Houston after evacuating Beaumont during Hurricane Rita, was fatally shot at about 1:30 a.m.
"He was a beautiful person," said O'Neal's brother-in-law, Randolph Simpson. "He really believed in the (Holy) Spirit."
O'Neal and his wife, Annette, were sleeping when two men appeared in their bedroom, demanding cash and jewelry.
The suspects, whose faces were covered by red bandannas, forced O'Neal and his wife into the bathroom as they continued ransacking the house, police said.
O'Neal began struggling with the armed suspects when they forced him out of the bathroom. He was shot several times and pronounced dead at the scene, HPD investigators said.
Spike not unusual
HPD's Brown said the spike in homicides is "certainly an elevated rate and it's certainly higher" than the average of seven killings per week.
"But it's not unusual to have spikes," he said. "Sometimes it fluctuates from week to week."
The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office has confirmed 14 homicides — including six on Sunday — inside Houston city limits between Saturday and Wednesday, said spokeswoman Beverly Begay.
"I would agree it's a spike to see that many in those number of days," she said.
About four hours before O'Neal's death, Jose Saul Garcia, 26, was gunned down in his Nissan Sentra parked outside his apartment in the 6400 block of West Bellfort.
Garcia's 2-year-old daughter was in the back seat at the time, but she was not injured, police said.
One hour before Garcia's death, another 26-year-old man was fatally shot — in what police believe was an unrelated incident — nearby in the 10400 block of Sandpiper.
The victim in the bus shooting, a 30-year-old black man, and the suspect, a white man in his 20s, had not been identified Wednesday.
Houston police Capt. Dwayne Ready said there was no sign the shooting was racially motivated. "I don't know if they had an altercation prior to getting on the bus or whether the argument began on the bus."
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The alleged gunman was arrested and at least one passenger was taken to a hospital complaining of chest pains after the incident, which occurred on the 82 Westheimer route on Westheimer between Wilcrest and Kirkwood.
"This is a rare occurrence," said Metro Police Chief Tom Lambert.
He noted that Metro carries 330,000 passengers daily on 1,300 buses.
Metro crime statistics show there were no other killings on Metro vehicles in 2006 or 2007. There were 15 aggravated assaults between October 2005 and September 2006 on buses and at Metro facilities. There have been eight aggravated assaults reported between October and March.
When police arrived, paramedics were already on the bus and had the suspect's gun, police said.
The alleged shooter was "sitting in the back of the bus with his hands raised and was very compliant," Ready said. "He was then taken into custody without further incident."
Fluctuating numbers
Before the bus shooting, police had confirmed 81 slayings in 2007. The number is still down compared with the same period last year, when there were 90 slayings.
"Year to date, the numbers are still looking pretty good," Brown said.
Last year, the city averaged 35 slayings per month, but this year it has averaged less than 30 per month. Slayings were down in January and February compared with previous years. By Wednesday, however, slayings were on pace to meet or exceed the March 2006 numbers.
"Does this recent five-day period indicate we will see that rate continue?" Brown said. "It's too early to say because it fluctuates week by week."
Chronicle reporter Kevin Moran contributed to this report.
Houston & Texas News
March 28, 2007, 11:22PM
Man shot to death on Metro bus
Preacher also shot in his home, bringing 5-day homicide toll to 11
By ROBERT CROWE and MIKE GLENN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
Subscribe NOW
At least 11 slayings have occurred in Houston since Saturday, and the latest came Wednesday when a Metro bus passenger shot another passenger who had bumped into him, police said.
The victim and suspect apparently got into an argument while the suspect was trying to get off the bus in the 11700 block of Westheimer, Houston police said.
The suspect, who had a license to carry a concealed handgun, shot the other man in front of about 30 passengers at about 11:30 a.m., police said.
"Murder charges are pending, but we will present it to the district attorney, and it's likely that charges will be accepted," said Capt. Dale Brown of the Houston Police Department Homicide Division. "It's also possible it will be referred to a grand jury."
In another slaying on Wednesday, police said armed robbers entered a preacher's home in the 14500 block of Ameece and killed him.
Perry O'Neal, an itinerant preacher and carpenter who came to Houston after evacuating Beaumont during Hurricane Rita, was fatally shot at about 1:30 a.m.
"He was a beautiful person," said O'Neal's brother-in-law, Randolph Simpson. "He really believed in the (Holy) Spirit."
O'Neal and his wife, Annette, were sleeping when two men appeared in their bedroom, demanding cash and jewelry.
The suspects, whose faces were covered by red bandannas, forced O'Neal and his wife into the bathroom as they continued ransacking the house, police said.
O'Neal began struggling with the armed suspects when they forced him out of the bathroom. He was shot several times and pronounced dead at the scene, HPD investigators said.
Spike not unusual
HPD's Brown said the spike in homicides is "certainly an elevated rate and it's certainly higher" than the average of seven killings per week.
"But it's not unusual to have spikes," he said. "Sometimes it fluctuates from week to week."
The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office has confirmed 14 homicides — including six on Sunday — inside Houston city limits between Saturday and Wednesday, said spokeswoman Beverly Begay.
"I would agree it's a spike to see that many in those number of days," she said.
About four hours before O'Neal's death, Jose Saul Garcia, 26, was gunned down in his Nissan Sentra parked outside his apartment in the 6400 block of West Bellfort.
Garcia's 2-year-old daughter was in the back seat at the time, but she was not injured, police said.
One hour before Garcia's death, another 26-year-old man was fatally shot — in what police believe was an unrelated incident — nearby in the 10400 block of Sandpiper.
The victim in the bus shooting, a 30-year-old black man, and the suspect, a white man in his 20s, had not been identified Wednesday.
Houston police Capt. Dwayne Ready said there was no sign the shooting was racially motivated. "I don't know if they had an altercation prior to getting on the bus or whether the argument began on the bus."
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The alleged gunman was arrested and at least one passenger was taken to a hospital complaining of chest pains after the incident, which occurred on the 82 Westheimer route on Westheimer between Wilcrest and Kirkwood.
"This is a rare occurrence," said Metro Police Chief Tom Lambert.
He noted that Metro carries 330,000 passengers daily on 1,300 buses.
Metro crime statistics show there were no other killings on Metro vehicles in 2006 or 2007. There were 15 aggravated assaults between October 2005 and September 2006 on buses and at Metro facilities. There have been eight aggravated assaults reported between October and March.
When police arrived, paramedics were already on the bus and had the suspect's gun, police said.
The alleged shooter was "sitting in the back of the bus with his hands raised and was very compliant," Ready said. "He was then taken into custody without further incident."
Fluctuating numbers
Before the bus shooting, police had confirmed 81 slayings in 2007. The number is still down compared with the same period last year, when there were 90 slayings.
"Year to date, the numbers are still looking pretty good," Brown said.
Last year, the city averaged 35 slayings per month, but this year it has averaged less than 30 per month. Slayings were down in January and February compared with previous years. By Wednesday, however, slayings were on pace to meet or exceed the March 2006 numbers.
"Does this recent five-day period indicate we will see that rate continue?" Brown said. "It's too early to say because it fluctuates week by week."
Chronicle reporter Kevin Moran contributed to this report.
