HOUSTON – Houston police are searching for two suspects, one possibly armed with an AK-47-style weapon, who were seen running away after shooting a man in his own front yard.
The shooting happened around 9 a.m. Wednesday in the 6900 block of Buffum Street in southeast Houston.
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Neighbors told police they heard gunshots, looked out their windows and saw the two men running from the scene.
The man, in his 20s, collapsed in his front yard. He was rushed to Ben Taub Hospital, where authorities said he later died. His name has not been released.
According to investigators, the man was shot multiple times by unidentified assailants who knocked on his door Wednesday morning and asked him to step outside.
Investigators taped off a large portion of the area and began a search for the suspects.
"They did flee on foot, we did have canine tracking them earlier and we didn't find anything," said Sgt. James Racus of the Houston Police Department.
Police said the victim may have exchanged words with the two men before the shots were fired.
"One of the males was carrying a possible AK-47 assault rifle witnesses did say," said Racus.
Police recovered multiple shell cases from two different weapons, leading to the possibility that the man was shot multiple times by more than one weapon.
"It's very upsetting. He was just at my house yesterday," said neighbor Gail Mitchell.
Mitchell said she and another resident try to give the man CPR, but he didn't respond.
The victim's friend asked Local 2 to conceal his identity.
"He was a cool, laid-back person, goofy, smart," said the man's friend.
He said his friend never had trouble with anyone. He can't imagine why he was targeted and ambushed in his own yard.
"It's a reason for everything that happened. Don't ever think oh, it's just another murder. They murdered a good person, somebody's son, put some thought into it," said the man's friend.
If you have any information about the incident, you are asked to call Houston police or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.