Two charged after teenage girl shot in drive-by shooting, deputies say

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Two arrests were made in connection with a drive-by shooting that injured a teenage girl just an hour after authorities put out a call for help.

Steven LeBlanc Blanco, 28, and Allison Strong-Matyas, 19, were taken into custody Thursday night and charged in connection with the shooting that happened around 4:30 p.m. the same day in north Harris County.

According to Thomas Gilliland with the Harris County Sheriff's Office, two teenage sisters were sitting on a bed inside a trailer in the 14500 block of Maeline Street when someone drove up, stopped and fired a gunshot at the house.

Deputies said the girls heard a pop and glass breaking. One girl told authorities her sister slumped forward with a trickle of blood coming from her chest and that's when they realized the 13-year-old had been shot. 

She was taken to Houston Northwest Hospital and is in stable condition. 

The Harris County Sheriff's Office was able to find surveillance video from a nearby business and released a photo of a possible vehicle of the suspect.

A short time later, a tip was called in saying the white truck had been spotted at the intersection of Greens Road and Aldine Westfield in a convenience store parking lot, authorities said.

According to deputies, they chased the truck until the suspects pulled into a Houston Fire Department station in the 3000 block of Greens Road, at which point Blanco and Strong-Matyas took off on foot.

Deputies said they were able to catch up to Strong-Matyas on a side street and she was taken into custody immediately. 

Blanco made it into a nearby construction site where he hid in a metal storage container and refused to come out, authorities said. 

After about 30 minutes, deputies said they were able to get into the container and took Blanco into custody.

Blanco was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and felon in possession of a weapon, and Strong-Matyas was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

According to deputies, Blanco and Strong-Matyas were inside the truck at the time of the shooting.

Investigators believe the home was targeted, but they don't know why.


About the Authors:

Daniela Sternitzky-Di Napoli has been a digital news editor at KPRC 2 since 2018. She is a published poet and has background in creative writing and journalism. Daniela has covered events like Hurricane Harvey and the Astros World Series win. In her spare time, Daniela is an avid reader and loves to spend time with her two miniature dachshunds.