Suburban Sniper's Nest
A small price on his head: $200 offered for capture of BB Gun Sniper"terrorizing" Kingwood
A mysterious string of BB gun sniper attacks has Kingwood residents flustered and on edge.
While no injuries have been reported, three incidents on Kingwood Drive near Timber Shade have damaged windows on three cars in less than a week. Two vehicles were in motion, while another was at a stop light.
Officer Dwayne Ulrich of the Houston Police Department's Kingwood branch said the window damage appears to be from a pellet gun or some type of high-power BB gun.
"Anytime a window shatters, it gets attention," Ulrich said, adding that two cars have been struck on the passengers' side, while a third has been hit in the rear window.
Lois Cartwright's vehicle was the shooter's target on Monday and she circulated her story via email and through a local message board called Kingwood Underground.
It was exactly 4:45 PM. I stopped at the traffic light at Timber Shade. I happened to be the only car (very unusual) after the light turned green. Between Timber Shade and the Presbyterian Church, the drivers side back seat window right behind my head exploded and shards of glass flew across my car.
Cartwright suspects the shooter was hiding in heavy brush within Kingwood Drive median, what the victim called a "perfect sniper's nest" when speaking with KTRK Ch. 13. On Tuesday, another car was struck at 6:45 p.m. at the same location. The first attack on Saturday happened only several blocks away along Kingwood.
"A lot of people here in town have had the blessing for a fine education," Ulrich said about a series of detailed and slightly dramatized accounts of the shootings circulating through the community.
"Word travels quickly about incidents like this and often get blown out of proportion a bit," he continued. "A fight between two kids at a playground can turn into rumors about a homicide before you know it.
"We certainly understand that people are a little freaked. Citizens are right to be incensed — so are we."
Cartwright is offering a $200 reward for information leading to arrest and conviction of the shooter, who currently remains at large. Contact HPD's Crime Stoppers online or at 713-222-TIPS.
