Man shot by homeowner dies

LA MARQUE — A man shot and critically wounded by a homeowner with a rifle has died, authorities said Thursday.

The homeowner opened fire on two men during an apparent break-in attempt Wednesday night, La Marque police said.

One of the men, who was critically wounded, died after he was flown to John Sealy Hospital at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

The Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office is attempting to identity the man, described only as Hispanic, through fingerprints.

The shooting happened in the first block of Prairie Knoll Drive on the city’s northwest side at about 8:30 p.m. Initial reports from police indicate the homeowner heard strange noises outside his house, walked outside and opened fire.

Police did not confirm how many rounds the homeowner fired, but officers on scene said it was “several.”

It appeared the wounded man was struck in the homeowner’s yard.
The La Marque Fire Department was called to the scene to wash down the driveway and street.

A second suspect was apparently in or near a white four-door Chevrolet that was parked in front of the homeowner’s house. That person was not shot and was taken into custody, police said.

Police did not identify the suspects and no charges had been filed as of late Wednesday night.

Police took a rifle from the house as evidence and questioned the homeowner. The homeowner, who was not identified, was not expected to face any charges, police said.

Police were set to review video from a home security system that reportedly captured most of the incident.

Officers did not confirm whether anyone else was in the house at the time of the shooting.

Several residents in the neighborhood gathered to watch the police investigation. Many said that burglars had targeted the Prairie Knoll subdivision off FM 1764 and a few miles west of Interstate 45 several times in the last several months. Some said that there had been several car break-ins and a few house burglaries.

The shooting was the second time within a week that someone in La Marque opened fired.

Last week a Santa Fe woman fired several shots and men who had stolen her purse while she was getting into her car in the Walmart parking lot in La Marque. None of the suspects was wounded, but the vehicle believe used in that and a series of parking lot robberies was found and had several bullet holes in the tailgate.

Three men from Houston were arrested and charged in some robberies in Houston and Friendswood and are the leading suspects in the La Marque parking lot robbery, police said.
Reporter Chris Paschenko contributed to this report.