Newsman: A man shot at patrons of a Midtown club, killing one and injuring two, before an off-duty Harris County deputy working security fatally shot the suspect, according to the Houston Police Department.
First responders took two people wounded in the gunfire — one in critical condition — to a hospital. The other two people shot died at the club. Their identities are pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, police said.
The gunman, who has not been identified, began shooting at approximately 1:21 a.m. local time at Clé, a club where several off-duties Harris County sheriff’s deputies had been working extra jobs as security guards, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner told reporters early Monday morning.
The deputy was among several law enforcement officers working a security job at Club Clé at 2301 Main when gunfire erupted around 1:30 a.m., Houston police Chief Troy Finner said.
“One deputy discharged his duty weapon, striking an armed suspect who was pronounced dead at the scene,” according to a release from police.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office will conduct an internal review of the deputy’s actions.
Meanwhile, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission suspended the club’s liquor license for seven days to “facilitate the investigation,” said agency spokesman Chris Porter. He said the agency is conducting its own investigation into the shooting.
“As is customary when a law enforcement officer discharges a weapon in the city limits of Houston, the incident is being investigated by the HPD Special Investigations Unit and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office,” police said.
Clé made headlines last year, when more than 100 maskless people packed the club during the Memorial Day weekend for a pool party as city officials encouraged social distancing amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Sylvester Turner at the time expressed disappointment at the clubbers.
The two people who were injured were transported to the hospital. One was treated and released with a gunshot wound to the leg, Houston police said Monday afternoon. The other suffered multiple gunshot wounds and is in critical condition.
No deputies were hurt during the exchange of gunfire; Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted.
In the hours after the shooting, Finner called it a “difficult scene with a lot of moving parts.”
“It’s very difficult because the club was very crowded, dark inside,” he said.
