4 injured, including 12-year-old boy, in Fifth Ward shooting

Four people, including a 12-year-old boy, were injured in a shooting at a Fifth Ward apartment complex after a move-out dispute escalated into a gunfight, Houston police said. The shooting broke out Thursday evening at about 7 p.m. on Coke Street near the East Freeway and Market.

Investigators said two groups of residents at the complex were arguing about one group moving out when the confrontation turned violent. Police said someone in one group pulled a gun first, and someone in the other group responded, triggering an exchange of gunfire between the two sides. The victims were the boy, two women and one man.

Police initially said the child was 11, then later corrected his age to 12. Officers described the injuries as serious, but said everyone hurt in the shooting was expected to survive.

Detectives stayed at the scene as they worked to determine who fired first, who the intended targets were and whether the people involved knew each other beyond living at the complex. Investigators said they had not recovered any weapons and did not have suspect information to release right away.

The shooting left residents rattled in a part of Fifth Ward where apartment-complex disputes can spill into common areas and parking lots with little warning. Neighbors were particularly shaken that a child was among the wounded, underscoring how quickly an argument between adults can put bystanders in danger inside dense residential complexes.