Texas boy, 11, killed in his sleep after 'cowards' spray home with bullets in suspected drive by shooting
A Channelview, Texas family has been in mourning following the death of an 11-year-old boy who was shot and killed after bullets were fired into a home where he and his siblings were sleeping. According to a release by the Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO), deputies responded to reports of a shooting at a residence on 15100 block of Brentwood Drive at around 4:30 am on Sunday.
On arrival, they found an 11-year-old boy dead in a bedroom where he had been sleeping with two siblings -- a toddler and a teenage girl -- who were unhurt. Four of his other siblings who were also in the room at the time were unhurt as well. The family identified the victim as Kamren Cassius Jones.
HCSO Sheriff Ed Gonzalez termed it a "truly senseless, sad situation." He revealed that a number of casings were found in the driveway, which indicated that an assault rifle was possibly used to carry out the shooting.
"They're cowards to shoot into a home not knowing who was in there," he said. "They shot an innocent child that's there and this is uncalled for. This is sad, tragic, senseless and we're going to go after you."
Donna Patterson, who lives across the street from the residence, described hearing several gunshots ring out. "There were 22 shots in perfect timing," she said. "Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, 22 loud. I just thought, 'oh my gosh, are they coming through the house.'"
Investigators reportedly suspect that the incident was the result of a drive-by shooting. They said they're working to get to the bottom of the incident but do not believe the family was the intended target.
The family is said to have moved into the home only a few months ago, and investigators claimed the previous renters had displayed suspicious behavior. "A lot of activity and possible criminal activity was part of that," they explained.
"It's tragic," Gonzalez said. "On the day that we honor Maleah Davis and her death. As we pay tribute and pay remembrance of her, that we're now investigating the death of another child, so this is really heartbreaking."
A GoFundMe page has seen set up to raise donations to cover the funeral expenses of Kamren. It has raised $6,363 of a possible $20,000 goal in just one day at the time of writing.