Two teenagers have died following a mass shooting at a makeshift nightclub in northeast Houston on Saturday night, according to police.
Houston police arrived at the scene around 11:20 p.m. at an abandoned business on the 10100 block of Jensen Drive, near the Eastex Freeway.
“(Officers) saw a very chaotic scene, with a large crowd of people running from a makeshift club. It appeared to be one of these pop-up parties that have been happening lately, organized through social media. The crowd seemed mostly made up of juveniles,” said Asst. Chief Luis Menendez-Sierra.
Officers discovered that five or six people had been shot. Two of the victims, a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, died from their injuries. The other four victims were all teenage girls.
Police reported that a 13-year-old is in critical condition, an 18-year-old is in serious condition, and a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old are stable.
“They killed my baby,” said Charlisa Jones, whose 14-year-old daughter, Azirya Bankhead, was one of the two victims killed.
Azirya’s brother, Cleshaun Bankhead, was with her at the party.
“She said, ‘Alright, I’m going with my friends,’ and then I was standing next to her. All I heard were shots. I looked down, went to the restroom, and when I came out, they were carrying my sister out, and she was lifeless,” Cleshaun recounted.
HPD stated the pop-up party took place at a venue called the Curfew Club.
The invitation was reportedly a social media post promoting it as “the hottest teen club in Houston.”
Menendez-Sierra noted that obtaining surveillance footage would be challenging, as the event occurred in an empty building.
“It’s an unsanctioned event with no regulations, which leads to these kinds of problems. Without regulations, there’s no oversight, no one to ensure the event is legitimate,” he said.
The aftermath of the chaos was still visible the next morning. Two women who visited the scene found it a tragic twist of fate, given that a year ago, the location had been a place of worship.
“This was Restoration Houston Ministry Church, where we helped people suffering from drug addiction and homelessness,” said Kim Lon Ward.
Ward’s friend and fellow minister, Deanna Freeman, explained that the church had been forced out due to rising rent costs. She believes the area has deteriorated since then.
“This isn’t the first party held here. There have been others, but this is the first one that ended in such a tragedy,” Freeman said.
Witnesses reported seeing a Black male suspect, described as tall and thin, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a mask covering his face.
Currently, HPD has no information on the suspect or any getaway vehicle. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS.
“If you were here that night, we need your help. If you saw what happened, we need you to call that number. We need information to bring these people to justice,” Menendez-Sierra appealed.