Posted on 03/14/2006 12:58:24 PM PST by ARealMothersSonForever
Authorities said two victims were recovering from gunshot wounds after a shooting at an alleged immigrant smuggling house Tuesday morning.
The house was allegedly being used in an illegal immigrant smuggling operation. Houston police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials responded to the scene at 9011 Sandpiper in southwest Houston around 9 a.m. after residents reported hearing gunshots in the neighborhood.
Two people were wounded, but police aren’t sure who shot them.
The victims were transported to Ben Taub and Memorial Herman Hospital. Their conditions aren’t known.
Police said a bullet broke through a window at a house across the street, but no one in that home was injured.
A woman who lives in a nearby house got quite a scare, as a number of bullets hit around her home. “I told my son to stay down because I kept hearing it hitting the house,” she said. “And I just didn’t know where and it was scary.”
Police recovered a weapon they said was a Chinese version of an AK47.
Investigators said the home was a drop house where illegal immigrants are brought when smuggled into the U.S. The house, like many drop houses, did not have furniture inside and the windows had been boarded up.
Investigators said the house has been used for smuggling in the past, but neighbors in the area seemed unaware of the criminal activity going on at the house until Tuesday morning’s incident.
Police saw six men jump out of a window and run away when they arrived on the scene, but those men were caught nearby.
At least one man fled the scene in an SUV and has not been located.
Officials took 21 other people into custody, but were not sure if the smugglers or the shooters were among those apprehended.
An immigrant on the scene told 11 News they had arrived at the house on Monday evening after paying $2,000 each to be brought to the U.S. from Mexico. The immigrant said there were around 50 immigrants in the home with four heavily armed men when he arrived.
Investigators said all of the immigrants taken into custody Tuesday were males from El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and Guatemala.
Ronald Kahla has lived in his house down the street for 54 years and said his neighborhood is “going downhill, fast.”
“This used to be a beautiful little neighborhood,” he said. “Everybody knew everybody and all the kids played together. It was just a fun neighborhood, a nice garden club and everything. But now all that’s gone. It’s all changed.”
This article went from describing these men as "alleged immigrants" to "illegal immigrants" to just plain old "immigrants."
And then, of course, there was mention of the Chinese version of an AK47, which was probably also illegal.
(Pardon my rambling.)
so the fence is in houston not on the border
great place to get it guys shouls be stopped 350 miles before they get that far
plus...
"taken into custody Tuesday were males from El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and Guatemala."
equals 3rd world $&i+hole and so it will continue to spread like the desease that it is. They must be stopped, identified and removed from this country. If not, this county is headed D-I-R-E-C-T-L-Y for a shooting war.
Operation Safety. We need an Operation Line, President Bush!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
Houston? Haven't we heard something about the local police there not enforcing Immigration Laws - that activists were filming day-worker sites?
Could it be that the law enforcement paradigm is shifting?
This underlines the great job done by CBP and ICE. Since it is local Houston Police that have to respond.
Just thought I'd stick that in bold for all the fence-sitters/OBLers who are lurking.
We had to move from our previously peaceful neighborhood in Orange California after 21 years for the same reason. We were being surrounded by Mexican colonias with all the mess they bring.
Yet our politicians want more and more of these types brought into this country.
We got out just in time - the house across the street from us (2600+ sq.ft.) sold as a rental. It's now home to about 20 people, with two huge "Bimbo" trucks parked there all the time, along with assorted other vehicles in various stages of disrepair.
The person we sold our house to, we have no idea, nor had we the right to ask, whether he was intending to live in it or use it as a rental.
Our agent told us that during one of our open houses, one prospective buyer actually measured the living room, and discussed converting it into TWO bedrooms!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant!
I am so not surprised.
I noticed that as well. Being PC does that to writers. Causes them to go through several contortions until they finally pretzel their way to the 'correct' terminology. Talk about writer's cramp. :o)
They used their Katrina 2G cards to make bail!
bttt
Me neither.
Sad.
Will wonders never cease.
Perhaps one of the quislings would care to spin this one for us.
I wonder where LULAC is? Don't they get outraged about abuse of illegals?
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