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A man who had allegedly been masturbating outside of a child's window has been shot by the girl's father, officials in Houston have said.
Harris County Sheriff's Office said that the shooting occurred at a gas station in the 15400 block of W Little York Road, at 10 p.m. on Sunday, although the incident began at a nearby home.
A husband and wife confronted an intoxicated male who they saw allegedly masturbating outside of their daughter's window, according to the sheriff's office.
The man was said to have apologized and walked away, local station KTHV reports. The couple, both armed with handguns, then followed the man towards a nearby gas station.
The woman attempted to hold him down while the husband went to the window to ask the gas station clerk to call 911, officials said. At this point, the man is said to have freed himself, taking a handgun and turning it on her.
At that point, the husband shot the man, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies said that the husband fired at the man three times. However, speaking to another local station, KTRK, the husband said he believed he had shot the man four times: twice in the chest, once in the stomach and once in his side.
He said he opened fire fearing that the other man would start shooting himself.
The injured man was transported to the hospital in critical but stable condition. No-one else was injured in the shooting.
The father said his daughter had previously complained about seeing someone watching her through her window, but neither he nor the girl's mother had believed her.
The sheriff's office said the incident is being referred to the Harris County District Attorney's Office, which will determine if any charges will be filed.
The D.A.'s office has been contacted for comment.
In January, a suspect was charged with peeping after he fell through the ceiling of the women's locker room at a gym in Virginia.
Brian Anthony Joe, of Woodbridge, was charged with burglary, three counts of peeping or spying into a building and vandalism following an incident which occurred Onelife Fitness in Stafford on January 30.
The Stafford County Sheriff's Office said they were called to the gym after receiving reports of a man falling through the women's locker room roof onto a female below.
After falling down 10 feet, Joe was cornered by other gym members until law enforcement arrived. Neither the woman or the suspect were seriously injured.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more