Tracking crime in the Galleria area

(3/13/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- Chances are you've been there before. It's a very popular shopping spot in Houston, where police are now dealing with a scary attack.

Three teenagers were shot outside a convenience store in the Galleria area early Tuesday morning. They say they were innocent bystanders. Police still don't have a suspect, and the shooting has people in the area concerned. We put our Crime Tracker to work to see what else is going on there.

As ambulances and police swarmed the well-known Galleria area, a sleeping mother was woken up by a frantic phone call from her son.

"We don't know if it's gang-related, but my son has no part in it and I don't want anyone to seek him out or me for any reason," said Sandra Gainous, whose son was one of those who was hit.

Gainous' son, Archie, was shot in the ankle. He was one of three teens shot in the parking lot adjacent to a Shell gas station near the Galleria. The kids had gathered there after a night of partying at a nearby night club.

"A group of guys walked up," said Archie. "They were looking for somebody, but they don't see who they're looking for and they just point out a random guy in the crowd and all I hear are shots fired. Next thing, I'm on the ground and I'm hit."

In the daylight, people who work and live nearby say despite the Galleria area's upscale reputation, the shooting wasn't a surprise, especially near the night club.

"My son found some shells, but we hear the 'boom, boom' when they get out at their night club," said nearby resident Sherri Jamea.

We put our exclusive Crime Tracker to use and in 2006 within a one-mile radius of the Westheimer and 610 Loop, there was one murder, eight rapes, 45 robberies, 187 assaults, and 114 cases of vandalism.

The Gainous family is relieved that Archie was not more seriously hurt, but the college student says it's not the spring break he expected.

"Something like that can happen anywhere," he said. "I don't think I'll be at the Roxy any time soon."

Archie, a scholarship football player, will visit the orthopedic surgeon Wednesday to try to figure out if the bullet lodged in his ankle can be removed. The two other young men who were hit are recovering at the hospital.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

Get more News »

• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•