2 teens killed, 3 wounded in shooting at Houston pop-up party

(CNN) — A shooting at a pop-up party in Houston left two 16-year-olds dead and three others wounded, including a 13-year-old girl, who is now in critical condition, according to authorities.

Law enforcement learned of the shooting at about 11:20 p.m. local time and “as they arrived, they saw a very hectic scene, a large crowd of people running out of a makeshift club,” Assistant Chief Luis Menendez-Sierra with the Houston Police said during a news conference.

Responders found a 16-year-old boy who was pronounced dead at the scene. A 16-year-old girl was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

At least three other people were shot, including a 13-year-old girl who is now at the hospital in critical condition and a 19-year-old woman who transported herself to the hospital, Menendez-Sierra said.

Police do not have a suspect in custody and are asking anyone with information about the shooting to come forward.

The crowd was mostly filled with juveniles, Menendez-Sierra said. People were running around, emptying out of the party as first responders tried to tend to the wounded, he added.

“It looks like an empty business that was kind of just leased out, so they kind of made a makeshift club,” Menendez-Sierra said.

Menendez-Sierra said these types of non-sanctioned parties have been occurring lately. They often pop-up on social media, he said, and the lack of regulations can cause serious problems.

Menendez-Sierra said the department would put all its resources into the ongoing investigation. In the meantime, police are cautioning teenagers against participating in pop-up parties.

“These makeshift, unsanctioned pop-up parties can quickly lead to chaos and violence,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonalez said in a statement on X. “Pop-up parties raise public safety concerns and teens need to stay away for their own safety.”

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