HOUSTON — In a span of eight hours from Monday night into early Tuesday morning, 10 people were shot, including two kids. Of those 10 people, six were killed.
It feels like crime in Houston is only getting worse. Homicides were up 71% in 2021 compared to 2019, and this year is already off to a violent start.
Around 6 p.m. Monday, the man police say was the suspect in a deadly Cracker Barrel shooting over the weekend was shot and killed by Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies in Atascocita.
At the same time, in southwest Houston, police said two men were injured in a shootout.
An hour later, in southeast Houston, two young brothers, a 1-year-old and 6-year-old, were injured in a shooting in the parking lot of an apartment complex.
At 8:40 p.m., police found a man shot to death off Lansdale Drive in southwest Houston.
Shortly after 11 p.m., a man was found dead in a truck at an elementary school parking lot in east Houston. Police believe he was robbed and said a woman who tried to rob him may have been accidentally hit in that shooting.
They say her body was found shortly after, four miles away on Penn City Road.
RELATED: HPD: Woman found dead in E. Harris County may be suspect in man's killing outside elementary school
Just after midnight, police said a man may have been killed by his own father at a home in southwest Houston after some sort of argument.
And around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, a man was found shot to death in southwest Houston.
“We do everything we can to control the crime issue, yet, we’re going from call to call to call," President of Houston Police Officers' Union Douglas Griffith said.
Griffith said Monday night was especially violent.
“These are human lives we're talking about out there. These are somebody’s family and loved ones," Griffith said.
He said that from the county court system to staff shortages, there are many factors working against police officers these days.
“When you have that many incidents of violence that we have to see over and over again, it takes a toll on our officers," Griffith said.
But he said you can help by making sure every crime gets reported.
“If someone is not calling it in, we will never know about it. So when you see a crime happening, make sure and call it in. We will check it out," Griffith said.