Man's body found in northwest Houston ditch

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The Houston Police Department is investigating an apparent homicide after a man was found dead in a ditch Sunday in northwest Houston.

The body was discovered in the 6400 block of Gold Street at Creston near Interstate 610 and the Hardy Toll Road. HPD Homicide detectives spent the day at the scene. The body was found just before 9am near some railroad tracks.

Officers have been canvassing the area looking for clues, and they believe this is a murder. The cause of death has not been officially determined yet, but a shooting or stabbing are both under consideration as blood was found at the scene.

Neighbors didn't report hearing any gunshots, but if a passing train could have masked any specific noise. Police are also considering that the man could have been killed at another location and the body dumped, but they don't believe he was here very long.

"Probably last night sometime. Here again, it's not necessarily to say he was shot at this location. He could have been dumped here," Det. Ramon Cervantes said. "As you can see here, it's not necessarily desolate; but the area where we found this individual, you can see where people have dumped things, and there's a portion of this area where it is somewhat desolate."

Investigators say the man's body was found by a family driving by. They first noticed his shoes. "My brother recognized some shoes, and we slowed down and there was a body lying there," Larry Washington said.

"I told them it was a mannequin," Larry's brother, Orish Washington, said. "I didn't believe it was somebody." The grim discovery has cast an eerie feeling on their neighborhood, especially among the family that had a very unexpected start to their Sunday morning.

The body has not been identified, but police said the man was black and in his early 20s. This case remains under investigation. 

Man in wheelchair killed by hit-and-run driver in north Harris County

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Investigators are searching for a hit-and-run driver who killed a man in a wheelchair this morning in north Harris County.

It happened around 3:20am on Aldine Mail Route near Airline. According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, a witness saw a red extended-cab Ford pickup truck strike the victim in the southbound lanes of Airline.

The driver then reportedly made a U-turn and fled north. Deputies said the victim was an older Latino man who was in the inside southbound lane in his wheelchair when he was fatally struck. He died at the scene.

"He was in the lane of traffic," HCSO Dep. Paul Begley said. "Unknown if he was trying to cross, or just in the lane."

Investigators collected vehicle parts from the scene of the crash to possibly help them locate the suspect vehicle.

Please stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for updates. Reporter Sonia Azad is at the scene and will have live reports from the scene 8-10am.

Man shoots, kills would-be robber after returning Redbox movie in north Houston

HOUSTON -- A man was attacked on Tuesday evening in north Houston after stopping to return a movie at the Redbox outside of McDonald's.

According to investigators, he got back in his car and was approached by at least two suspects who attempted to steal his car. He was forced out of the vehicle and pushed down.

The victim had a gun on him and he fired at the suspects. He killed one of the robbers and wounded one of the other suspects who got away. Police did not release any other information regarding the case.

“It is kind of odd being right out in the open. I guess people and the desperate need of people nowadays,” said Dedrick Moore. “They give up hope and try to go any other way to get their means."

Moore lives in the area and visits the McDonald's often, but not without caution. "I am always checking my area,” Moore said. “Looking around knowing what is going on around me."

The victim did not want to appear on camera, but he said he was doing OK.

Suspect's family 'shocked and destroyed' by crime at Spring HS

SPRING, Texas -- Luis Alonso Alfaro, 17, was charged with killing a classmate Wednesday at Spring High School by stabbing him to death.

Harris County Sheriff’s deputies said the teen confessed to the crime. He said nothing as reporters tossed out questions to him while deputies walked him to a waiting car at the Criminal Investigations Bureau.

His stepfather had a lot to say from his home in Spring, even though he didn't want to be identified. First and foremost, he had a message for the victim's family.

“I'll probably go meet them and say my prayers and share my thoughts and say I’m sorry for whatever altercation happened,” said Alfaro’s stepfather.

All four victims had been stabbed. Three were treated and released from area hospitals. The stepfather did not know where the teen got the knife used in the attack. “He didn't have one at the house. We checked his room, we checked everything,” said Alfaro’s stepfather.

The family said Luis worked part-time at a fast food restaurant, went to school, came home and didn't have any issues. They were stunned. His mother was reportedly “devastated and destroyed.”

Alfaro’s stepfather was sensitive to critics who may point the finger at the parents. “It's not our fault. It's not parenting,” said Alfaro’s stepfather. “You can't monitor your kids 24-7.” 

He said Luis will likely pay the price for the crime. The stepfather did not believe the brawl was gang-related. “I don’t believe that,” said Alfaro’s stepfather.

Witnesses- Denny's customer killed by robbers was trying to protect children

HOUSTON – A customer was fatally shot and an employee was injured during a robbery at a Denny’s restaurant in west Houston. It happened at the Denny’s along Interstate 10 at Washington Avenue around 10:30 p.m. Monday, according to officers with the Houston Police Department.

Police said three men wearing masks and bandanas went into the restaurant and ordered all customers and employees to the ground. A family member of one of the victims said the men took purses and cell phones, and even pointed their guns at small children. The men also stole money from the customers and the cash register.

Witnesses said the robbers became angry and started shooting before they left the scene. The bullets struck a customer and an employee who was trying to escape out the front door. The robbers escaped in a minivan, believed to be stolen.

Police spent several hours looking over the scene and the evidence, which included bullet holes in some of the cars parked outside. Police said the men wore masks, but the crime and the getaway vehicle may have been captured on video by surveillance cameras.

If they are putting a gun to a small kid’s head, they need to be stopped," said Drue Placette. Denny’s reopened a few hours after the deadly robbery. Regulars stopped by to check on the employees they’ve come to know.

"You never think it’s going to happen to somebody you know, or some place that you go, and it’s really sad when it does," said Peggy McMillan, a regular. "It’s horrible. We just want to check and make sure everybody is OK. I know somebody didn’t make it and we feel really bad about it."

4 - Years boy, drowns in Liberty County pond

HOUSTON -- A heartbreaking situation unfolded Monday in Liberty County which took the life of a 4-year-old child.

The sheriff’s office said deputies received a call from a grandmother around 12:30 p.m. to report that her grandson was missing from a residence in the 4500 block of Private Road 4501.

The grandmother, who is wheel chair bound, said the boy had been missing for 15 minutes before she called 911. A short time later, the boy's body was found in a nearby pond. 

Deputies responded to the pond, located near Indigo Road and PR 4501. Authorities recovered the child and performed CPR, but it was too late. Officials said it is possible believe the child had been in the water 30 to 40 minutes before he was found.

The Liberty County Sheriff's Office is investigating.

Bicyclist struck, killed by car at Memorial Park

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Authorities are investigating a deadly auto-pedestrian accident at Memorial Park.

Authorities are investigating a deadly auto-pedestrian accident at Memorial Park. It happened around 7:30pm in the 6700 block of Memorial Drive.

Witnesses say the bike rider had started to cross the street but then turned around to go back. That's when an oncoming car heading westbound on Memorial struck him then crashed into a light pole.

"I was walking around the corner and I heard a big thump, like the earth had shaken. So immediately, I knew somebody was in trouble and had a horrible crash," witness Charlotte Jolivet said.

Authorities say the bicyclist died at the scene, and the driver of the car was transported to a hospital in an undisclosed condition.

"Well you definitely have to be careful. This is a busy time of day; this is a busy park with a lot of people on bikes, people running and then the cars on the street. This is a pretty fast street," HPD Sgt. Johnnie McFarland said.

Other bikers at the park know agree.

"We stay on the back bike paths. We have the lights, we have the reflectors and try to have the hats but we try not to get on the streets because the cars can't see us all the time," a bicyclist at the park said.

The identities of the cyclist and driver of the cars have not yet been released. Officials have shut down the outbound lanes of Memorial at Memorial Loop as the investigation continues.