Husband, wife detail reason why gunman spared their lives

HOUSTON – The wife of a man shot by a gunman in west Houston says her husband has gone through multiple surgeries since Sunday’s shooting but is expected to return home to her and his young son.

Byron Wilson has a long recovery ahead, his wife Kendra told Channel 2.

She says her husband was not armed yesterday when he was shot.

“It was bap, bap, bap,” shooting witness Sean Sadri said. Home video taken by him showed SWAT team members searching for the gunman.

Gina Brooks lives just blocks away from the shooting scene and couldn’t stop her neighbor before he was shot.

“All of a sudden, a white truck comes down the street and I really was wanting to scream, 'Stop,'” she said. “In a few seconds, I heard a big noise and he started backing up down our street as fast as he could and I ran to the door and watched him clip our neighbors' door and then just keep going in reverse.”

“The guy clearly had plenty of ammunition,” Bob Welch, another neighbor, said.

Welch offered his yard as a safe place for a husband and wife business team from across the street who had to flee the scene when, somehow, the shooter let them escape.

“They were very, very upset and fearful and so we invited them in and gave them a place to hang out for as long as it took,” Welch said.

Felicia and Paris Nichols operate an auto detailing shop and say the shooter approached them. They feared for their lives and witnessed him shoot and kill Eugene Linscomb, a longtime customer of their business.

“My wife got on the ground and started praying,” Paris Nichols said. “He said, ‘I’m not going to kill you all because you are Christians. But the (obscenity) Jews got to go.’”

Felicia Nichols says she isn’t sure how he could tell she was a Christian because she didn’t say anything specific to give him that impression.

The Nichols ran when their lives were spared and waited in Welch’s backyard for the shooter to be killed.

They are mourning Lipscomb’s death.

“He was one of our first customers when we opened,” Felicia Nichols said. “Yesterday, he had a huge smile when we saw him.”

If you have a tip about this story or another idea for investigative reporter Jace Larson, email or text him at jlarson@kprc.com or call him at 832-493-3951.