Police kill man posing as guard after Sam's Club shooting in Houston

Gunfire erupted at a Sam’s Club in east Houston late Saturday night, turning a routine shopping center on the East Freeway into a homicide scene and forcing the store to close the next day. Houston police said the call came in around 11:12 p.m. at the 13600 block of the East Freeway near Uvalde Road and Market area, where officers ultimately killed a man investigators say had posed as a security guard before opening fire.

Police said the suspect had been vandalizing and breaking into vehicles in the parking lot before employees confronted him. Investigators said he then shot at the workers, followed them back inside the store and kept firing. The account points to a disturbing security collapse: the man allegedly broke into a real security guard’s car, stole the guard’s gear and put on the uniform, giving himself a false badge of authority at a place where families shop every week.

When officers entered the store, they exchanged gunfire with the suspect. Houston police said no officers were injured and no employees were injured. The suspect was struck more than once, and officers rendered first aid before EMS took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The case is now being investigated by the Houston Homicide Special Investigations Unit, the Houston Police Internal Affairs Division and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

The scene remained active Sunday morning as hazmat crews cleaned up the store, underscoring how quickly a parking-lot disturbance turned into an inside-the-store gun battle. A sign on the entrance said the Sam’s Club would be closed Sunday, and the store was expected to reopen Monday, April 27, 2026.

For shoppers and nearby businesses along the East Freeway corridor, the episode raises immediate questions about how well large retailers screen security personnel, control access to uniforms and gear, and respond when a confrontation starts outside and spills inside. In a district where warehouse clubs, gas stations and strip centers sit close together, parking-lot surveillance and rapid employee reporting can determine whether a suspicious person is stopped early or is able to move deeper into a crowded store.

Houston police said body-worn camera video is expected to be released within 30 days under department policy, a step likely to bring more answers about how the suspect got so close to workers, customers and officers before the shooting ended.