HOUSTON – Police Chief Troy Finner is promising to clean up the Midtown area and increase patrols after two shootings in a week at a gas station.
Monday’s fatal shooting near the intersection of Fannin Street and Gray Street followed a fight between customers inside the gas station, all caught on surveillance cameras.
A day later, Chief Finner announced the crime crackdown is coming.
“We’re not going to stand by in our city and let people take over,” Chief Finner said.
The windows on both sides of the building remain boarded up after bullets blasted through them.
“It really gets worse when it’s dark,” said Anas Mohammed, who has worked the night shift for the past five months. “Every single day. Every single hour. I say every single 10 minutes.”
He often works in fear and sometimes employees end up in altercations with customers.
“They be having guns, drugs, every single thing. They be having backpacks and they be dealing inside the gas station even if you ask them to leave,” Mohammed said.
The store manager said he’s noticed an increase in crime over the last eight months. The block is frequented by individuals experiencing homelessness, who often come into his store and steal items. He said some customers are afraid to get gas or come inside.
Hours after Chief Finner’s announcement, police units patrolled the block and tried to keep loiterers on the move.
“This is not going to just last for a few days. This is going to be an order of business around here. And you will see marked units, but there will be undercover units here as well,” Chief Finner said.
It’s welcome news for the Midtown Super Neighborhood Association.
“The key word is sustained attention,” past president Michael Lewis said. “For people to see Midtown as a place to live, work and play, they have to feel safe first and foremost.”
The suspect in Monday’s fatal shooting is still on the run.
Tuesday’s announcement came after a new University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs poll revealed crime is the number one issue for Houstonians who plan to vote this November.