Attacker Sets Residences on Fire, Shoots People as They Flee Flames

An attacker in Houston, Texas, set fire to residences shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday morning, then shot and killed three people as they fled the flames.

The attack occurred “at a multiroom rental facility near 8020 Dunlap St,” CNN reported.

Houston police chief Troy Finner said Houston Fire Department arrived on scene before police officers, but had to take cover after hearing gunshots being fired.

An officer who arrived on scene found the attacker, a black male in his 40s, across the street and exchanged gunfire with him, killing the suspect.

Finner praised the officer who took down the attacker, saying, “I’m very proud of him. Who knows, that suspect probably would have tried to shoot somebody else.”

Three innocents were killed in the attack and two others were injured.

The attacker “was a longtime tenant of the building and had recently been notified he was being evicted,” Forbes reported. He was armed with a shotgun.