19-year-old charged with murder in north Harris County apartment shooting

A north Harris County apartment parking lot became the center of a murder investigation after deputies found 21-year-old Devonta Martin dead at the Mira Bella Apartments on Imperial Valley Drive near Parramatta Lane. Authorities say 19-year-old Alajai Scott is now charged with murder and tampering with evidence, and a magistrate deferred her bond to criminal court at her first appearance on Wednesday.

Deputies were called shortly before midnight on May 22 after reports of a shooting at the complex. First responders tried lifesaving measures, but Martin died at the scene. Witnesses said the gunfire was intense, with one neighbor estimating 15 to 20 shots, a burst that left residents scanning the lot for answers as investigators tried to piece together what happened.

Harris County investigators believe the killing may have been robbery-motivated, and they have said Martin may have been targeted by two shooters. That detail has sharpened concern about safety in apartment shared spaces, where residents often cross paths in parking lots, near breezeways and between vehicles after dark. In this case, the killing unfolded in a place that should have been routine and public, not a shooting scene.

Martin’s mother, Yolanda Martin, told reporters she believed her son was “set up.” She said he had just returned home from work, had let a woman into the apartment to use the restroom and that several people had been taking photos with him before the shooting. Her account has become a painful part of the case as detectives work to determine who was there and whether the shooting followed a planned confrontation.

Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether a second shooter was involved or released the full basis for Scott’s arrest. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office Violent Criminal Apprehension Team took Scott into custody, underscoring how seriously investigators are treating the case as they continue to sort through witness accounts, scene evidence and possible robbery ties.

The shooting has left Mira Bella residents and nearby apartment communities facing a familiar question in Harris County: how to make parking lots safer before another late-night confrontation turns deadly. Anyone with information is being asked to contact the Harris County Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers.