HPD Seeks Six Persons of Interest in Fatal Gulf Freeway Club Shooting

Houston police are asking the public to identify six people caught on surveillance footage in connection with a fatal shooting that left one man dead and another wounded outside Paradise City Gentlemen's Club at 12330 Gulf Freeway in southeast Houston last Saturday.

The gunfire erupted at approximately 5:02 a.m. on April 4, less than an hour before the club's 6 a.m. closing time. Detective Kyle Heaverlo of the HPD Homicide Division said officers arrived within minutes of the 911 call to find a chaotic scene, with a large crowd and multiple victims on the ground. A 33-year-old Hispanic male was found unresponsive in the parking lot near the entrance and was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity remained pending notification to family by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences as of the HPD's press release, filed under Incident #043299626. A second victim, a Black male, was found injured inside the building and transported to a hospital by the Houston Fire Department; he was conscious.

Heaverlo said police believe the man killed was not involved in the original confrontation, making him an apparent innocent bystander caught in the crossfire. The incident began with a dispute inside the club that spilled into the parking lot, where at least one person opened fire into the crowd. A club security guard returned fire during the chaos. The guard was detained and questioned, cooperated fully with investigators, and is expected to be released without charges. No suspects were in custody following the initial investigation.

A light-colored vehicle fled the scene with multiple people inside. Investigators have not ruled out the possibility of more than one shooter, though that has not been confirmed. Detectives collected ballistics and other physical evidence from the scene, but noted that surveillance camera blind spots at the location may limit what was captured on video.

Paradise City operates as a BYOB establishment, meaning it does not serve alcohol on the premises. Its typical hours run from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The April 4 shooting is not the first deadly incident at the address. In 2020, a security guard at the same Gulf Freeway location shot and killed a man who had returned to the club carrying a pistol, an episode previously reported by the Houston Chronicle.

Surveillance footage released by HPD shows three males and three females identified as persons of interest, along with two vehicles. Anyone with information is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS (8477).