06:35 PM CST on Tuesday, March 14, 2006

By Reggie Aqui & Karla Barguiarena / 11 News

Click to watch Karla Barguiarena's 11 News report

Authorities said two victims were recovering from gunshot wounds after a shooting at an alleged immigrant smuggling house Tuesday morning.

KHOU-TV

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.”