HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Video shows the moment a northeast Harris County man opened fire on a crowd of people after a child’s birthday party.
Regine Murray said she and her boyfriend had just held a party for their 3-year-old daughter on Saturday.
After the party, she said family and friends gathered in her driveway on Bradfield Manor Drive.
“We were just outside talking, hanging out. Kids, everybody was out there,” Murray said.
Surveillance video shows a man deputies identify as Murray’s neighbor, James Thompson, walking out of the house next door. He begins shouting something about a dog, and several of Murray’s guests start shouting obscenities at him.
“Things just kind of unraveled really quickly. Someone threw, like, a water bottle, and he just started shooting at everybody,” said Murray.
One of the bullets hit Murray’s boyfriend in the stomach. He’s since had to undergo two surgeries, she said.
“People (were) inches away from getting shot in their head,” Murray said.
Deputies say several people in the crowd returned fire, hitting Thompson multiple times.
“I’ve been shot seven times,” Thompson told a hearing officer during a court appearance in which he struggled to stand.
It’s not the first time Thompson’s been accused of harassing his neighbors.
Last year, records show Murray pressed charges against him four times, including twice on the same day.
According to court documents, he once threatened to blow her brains out while waving a gun around.
“He talks to us every day, and he threatens to kill us, threatens to shoot us,” Murray said. “We’re in fear for our lives. We are terrified.”
In December, Thompson took a plea deal and was sentenced to six months in jail on a terroristic threat charge.
The same day, prosecutors dropped three other threat charges and an aggravated assault charge against him.
Even accounting for the credit Thompson received for time served, he didn’t serve his full sentence. It wasn’t immediately clear as to why.
“Praying and hoping that the judges and the DA will do something about it this time. It shouldn’t take someone to lose their life before he really goes to jail forever,” Murray said.
However, according to Thompson’s public defender, the retired refinery worker has different plans.
“He is eager to return to court so that he can clear his name and return to his restful retirement,” he told the court.
Thompson is charged with three counts of aggravated assault for the shooting and also faces a tampering charge for throwing his gun over a fence. His bond is set at $370,000, and he’s been ordered to stay away from guns if he posts it.
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