HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — An argument erupted into a shooting, leaving one teenager dead, and three other young people injured outside of a business in southwest Houston Sunday morning, according to police.
The Houston Police Department said the shooting happened in the 7200 block of West Fuqua Street at about 1 a.m. The street is expected to be closed until 10 a.m. as authorities investigate the scene.
When officers arrived, they said they found a 17-year-old girl, identified by relatives as Dayja Varnado, shot to death. Three other victims, a 20-year-old man, an 18-year-old man, and an 18-year-old woman, were taken to the hospital and are expected to be OK.
Varnado’s friends and family told Eyewitness News that they were celebrating a friend’s birthday party Saturday night at the hookah lounge when people poured into the parking lot after closing.
Investigators said the shooting stemmed from an argument that started in the parking lot. Police believe there were at least two shooters based on different calibers in the shell casings found on the ground. Asst. Chief Wyatt Martin said investigators don’t know if the suspects were shooting at each other or if they were together.
A friend of the Varnado said all he remembers is there was a large group of people outside in the parking lot when he heard shots fired. He said he rushed to her side after he saw she was shot.
“I went to her body as soon as the gunshots stopped. I went to make sure she was OK, to find her- things like that. As soon as I got there, she was already dead,” Aden Marshall, Varnado’s friend, said.
He told ABC13 that it was absolute chaos during the shooting, remembering he ducked for cover as gunfire rang.
“It was immediate chaos. Everybody ran in separate directions because nobody knew exactly where the shots were coming from. But then it got to the point that they were just dumping. They came out. They were just dumping. So I don’t even know how many shots, but it was a lot,” Marshall said.
Family members say Varnado was just weeks away from her 18th birthday, and she was working on becoming a cosmetologist.
Varnado’s brother, Mahdi Bey, told ABC13 that his family is still trying to process what happened as they wait for more details.
“I feel like I’m in a very severe state of shock. It’s almost like a dream. We can’t believe that this has happened to someone that was so talented, someone that was so beautiful. I’m just going to have to lean on God for a very long time, as I’ve done before, just to get through this,” he said.
If you know anything about this case, authorities urge you to contact the Houston Police Department’s Homicide Division at (713) 308-3600.
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