THE CHRON: Authorities said Thursday that a fourth person was shot in a rampage the day before at a northwest Houston apartment complex, an incident that triggered a series of events that ended when the suspected gunman died after a car crash.
The dead man was identified Thursday as Patrick Oneal Spurlock, 39. Why he opened fire about 8:50 a.m. at the Wilshire Place condominiums, 6000 Hollister, has not been determined.
Spurlock was a tenant at the complex but had been asked to leave by a security guard, police said. Spurlock pulled a gun and shot the guard and others. The fourth victim, officials said, was driving in the parking lot when he was wounded. He was flown by medical helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition.
Spurlock then ran into the median of Hollister, officials said, and shot at an officer in his squad car.
The officer returned fire but neither was hit, officials said.
Spurlock carjacked a woman outside another apartment complex on Hollister. He then drove off in her Chevrolet TrailBlazer, with police pursuing. During the chase, he stopped the SUV more than once, reversed into patrol cars following him and exchanged gunfire with the officers.
In the U-turn lane of the Northwest Freeway feeder road near Tidwell, he reversed into pursuing police cars before heading east on the inbound service road. The chase ended when he slammed into cars stopped at a traffic light at Hollister.
The chain-reaction crash sent five people to area hospitals. At least one has been released.
No officers were injured in the rolling gunbattle.
Spurlock died on the frontage road. His cause of death had not been determined.
