Shooting victim wounded while trying to rig doors and windows of Texas home with booby traps
TOMBALL, Texas -- A man who was found shot outside of his Tomball home appeared to have been injured while trying to rig his home with burglar-deterring booby traps.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office gave the update late Tuesday afternoon after deputies and a SWAT unit surrounded the home in the 26100 block of La Fouche Drive in the northwest part of the county.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said a deputy was called to the neighborhood for a reported shot fired at 1:38 p.m. The deputy found the 73-year-old man outside with a superficial gunshot to the right side of his body. The wounded man told the deputy "there's danger in the home."
The deputy went inside but was met with what the sheriff described as some kind of discharge. The deputy got out of the house and called for backup. The deputy was not seriously hurt.
The wounded man, who is believed to be a resident of the home, was taken to the hospital.
The sheriff's office SWAT unit was called to the home after deputies determined the home may be rigged to open fire. The sheriff's office said every door or window of the home had some sort of device that triggers a gunshot shell to go off.
They believe the homeowner was hurt from one of the as many as a dozen devices found.
According to law enforcement, it is illegal in Texas to rig your home with explosives. Authorities believe the devices were to scare off burglars who have broken into the home before.
The sheriff's office is consulting with the district attorney's office for possible charges.
Eyewitness News cameras fixed on the scene were able to capture an explosion noise heard from the home.
Meanwhile, Tomball ISD placed schools near the neighborhood on "lockout." The designation puts transportation on hold.
The school district, though, said it was notified that the situation is contained.
According to the school district, students who ride the No. 25 and No. 87 bus to Boudreaux Estates, where the law enforcement activity is taking place, are being re-routed to Tomball Memorial High School.
Officials are also informing parents can pick up their children. Proper identification is required, and students will only be released to parents or individuals on their emergency contact list.
