HOUSTON — A man who was sleeping in his truck fatally shot a man several times who broke into the vehicle Tuesday morning in north Harris County, according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
This happened at an apartment complex on Parramatta Lane, which is near the North Freeway and FM 1960. The sheriff first posted about the shooting on X, formerly Twitter, at 5:56 a.m.
Harris County deputies said the man was sleeping in his car because he had just gotten into a fight with his girlfriend.
Authorities said another man who may have had a pistol got into the vehicle and may not have realized the sleeping man was in the truck.
"They shouldn't be out doing it in the first place. I don't believe that he realized that the reportee was sleeping in this truck before it was too late," said Sgt. Ben Beall with the sheriff's office.
The would-be victim had what the sheriff said was an AR-15 and reportedly shot the man several times. The suspected thief was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies said the suspect had already stolen from several nearby cars before the shooting.
The shooter reportedly stayed at the scene and was cooperating with law enforcement.
It's unclear whether any charges will be filed in this incident.