A teenager who attended a large house party in the Cypress area where two people died says gunshots began in the house and continued outside as people ran into the streets seeking cover.
Shaniqua Brown says Saturday evening's birthday party "was not rowdy at all," and many people were dancing when they heard the shots.
Authorities say they're seeking two gunmen. It wasn't clear how many shots were fired.
The 17-year-old Brown said she saw one gunman when she ran outside.
Pools of blood were visible outside the two-story brick home Sunday morning, and the garage door was bent after people had pushed it upward while trying to escape.
At least 22 were wounded in the shooting, authorities said.
Partygoers scrambled after the shooting broke out about 11 p.m. in the 7300 block of Enchanted Creek Drive, near Fry and FM 529.
More than 100 people, mostly young adults, were at a house celebrating a birthday, said Thomas Gilliland, spokesman with the Sheriff's Office.
A man and a woman were killed, according to a news release sent by the office Sunday morning. One died at the party and the other at Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital.
One of the wounded included a female, who was sent by Lifeflight helicopter ambulance to Memorial Hermann Hospital.
The others shot have injuries ranging from serious to non-life threatening, said Gilliland. Some were shot in the foot or ankle. Others were shot in the hip, he said. Most of the injured were from 17 to 20 and were taken to five area hospitals.
Three others not shot, but hurt in the incident, also have gone to a hospital, Gilliland said. They reported injuries such as twisted ankles. One neighbor said she thought a teen broke his leg trying to jump her fence as he fled the gunfire.
After the shooting, people were making a mad rush to get out of the house, he said. Witnesses told deputies that some people broke second-floor windows and jumped.
So many people were trying to get out of the garage, they forced the garage door forward and pushed it off its tracks, Gilliland said.
When deputies arrived, they saw some people lying on the ground and others running.
"It was a pretty chaotic scene," Gilliland said.
Hours after the shooting, A. Henry described how the celebration turned into terror.
He was in the house, near the kitchen when he heard the first shots.
"It sounded like a balloon popping," said the 19-year-old Cypress Springs graduate.
Partygoers suddenly got quiet, he said, then the gunfire returned.
Henry said he thinks he heard between 10 and 12 shots fired, but was uncertain because the situation was hectic. The shooting seems to last between three to five minutes, he said.
At one point, he was trying to move people toward the garage to help them and himself out. He saw two people on the floor, bleeding.
Uncertainty crossed his mind.
"I hope I make it out alive," he recalled thinking.
Karen Briones was visiting relatives in the neighborhood when they heard the shooting, she said.
She saw the party earlier Saturday when on her way to a convenience store. After Briones returned to her relatives' home, on the other side of the neighborhood of one- and two-story brick and panel homes, they heard gunfire. She and a few relatives drove back down the street to investigate, she said.
"Girls were crying and screaming, banging on people's doors asking them for help and to call 911," Briones said.
The party was advertised on Twitter as an 18th birthday celebration.
At least one parent was in the house, said Christina Garza, a spokeswoman with the sheriff's office.
Investigators are trying to determine if alcohol was served at the party, Gilliland said.
The homeowners were not at the party, he said, but some of the people who live there were.
A Cypress Springs High School student who lives in the neighborhood said she heard about the party at school, but did not go to it.
Investigators are trying to determine what prompted the shooting.
Shaniqua Brown says Saturday evening's birthday party "was not rowdy at all," and many people were dancing when they heard the shots.
Authorities say they're seeking two gunmen. It wasn't clear how many shots were fired.
The 17-year-old Brown said she saw one gunman when she ran outside.
Pools of blood were visible outside the two-story brick home Sunday morning, and the garage door was bent after people had pushed it upward while trying to escape.
At least 22 were wounded in the shooting, authorities said.
Partygoers scrambled after the shooting broke out about 11 p.m. in the 7300 block of Enchanted Creek Drive, near Fry and FM 529.
More than 100 people, mostly young adults, were at a house celebrating a birthday, said Thomas Gilliland, spokesman with the Sheriff's Office.
A man and a woman were killed, according to a news release sent by the office Sunday morning. One died at the party and the other at Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital.
One of the wounded included a female, who was sent by Lifeflight helicopter ambulance to Memorial Hermann Hospital.
The others shot have injuries ranging from serious to non-life threatening, said Gilliland. Some were shot in the foot or ankle. Others were shot in the hip, he said. Most of the injured were from 17 to 20 and were taken to five area hospitals.
Three others not shot, but hurt in the incident, also have gone to a hospital, Gilliland said. They reported injuries such as twisted ankles. One neighbor said she thought a teen broke his leg trying to jump her fence as he fled the gunfire.
After the shooting, people were making a mad rush to get out of the house, he said. Witnesses told deputies that some people broke second-floor windows and jumped.
So many people were trying to get out of the garage, they forced the garage door forward and pushed it off its tracks, Gilliland said.
When deputies arrived, they saw some people lying on the ground and others running.
"It was a pretty chaotic scene," Gilliland said.
Hours after the shooting, A. Henry described how the celebration turned into terror.
He was in the house, near the kitchen when he heard the first shots.
"It sounded like a balloon popping," said the 19-year-old Cypress Springs graduate.
Partygoers suddenly got quiet, he said, then the gunfire returned.
Henry said he thinks he heard between 10 and 12 shots fired, but was uncertain because the situation was hectic. The shooting seems to last between three to five minutes, he said.
At one point, he was trying to move people toward the garage to help them and himself out. He saw two people on the floor, bleeding.
Uncertainty crossed his mind.
"I hope I make it out alive," he recalled thinking.
Karen Briones was visiting relatives in the neighborhood when they heard the shooting, she said.
She saw the party earlier Saturday when on her way to a convenience store. After Briones returned to her relatives' home, on the other side of the neighborhood of one- and two-story brick and panel homes, they heard gunfire. She and a few relatives drove back down the street to investigate, she said.
"Girls were crying and screaming, banging on people's doors asking them for help and to call 911," Briones said.
The party was advertised on Twitter as an 18th birthday celebration.
At least one parent was in the house, said Christina Garza, a spokeswoman with the sheriff's office.
Investigators are trying to determine if alcohol was served at the party, Gilliland said.
The homeowners were not at the party, he said, but some of the people who live there were.
A Cypress Springs High School student who lives in the neighborhood said she heard about the party at school, but did not go to it.
Investigators are trying to determine what prompted the shooting.