1 killed, 4 wounded as 50 shots fired outside Houston nightclub

(HOUSTON) — One person was killed and four others were wounded when a carload of armed assailants unleashed a barrage of more than 50 shots early Sunday morning on patrons outside a suburban Houston nightclub, police said.

Investigators are searching for witnesses and asking nearby businesses for surveillance video in what police described as a “scary” drive-by shooting involving multiple gunmen.

No arrests have been announced.

The shooting unfolded just outside a Lounge 33 nightclub in a shopping center in an unincorporated area northwest of Houston, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said during a news conference as investigators behind him collected shell casings and searched for evidence in a parking lot outside the nightclub.

Gonzalez said patrons of the nightclub were milling around the parking lot, some lined up at a food truck, when the shooting erupted.

He said a vehicle pulled up to the front of the nightclub just after 2 a.m., and multiple occupants got out and began firing at the crowd of patrons.

“It looks like over 50 shots were fired here, which is a very scary situation, considering there’s a mobile food truck and again the number of patrons that were outside,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said sheriff’s deputies responded to the shooting and found two men and three women suffering from gunshot wounds. He said the victims were taken to area hospitals, where one of the wounded men was pronounced dead.

The names of those shot were not immediately released.

Gonzalez said deputies were canvassing the area for witnesses, adding that most fled the scene by the time deputies arrived.

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