by
JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press Writer
, July 24, 2009
HOUSTON
Gunfire on the Texas Southern University campus wounded six people and scattered the crowd at a community rally Wednesday night, and police on Thursday were investigating whether a gang rivalry was behind the drive-by shooting.
People were gathered at the event that included a Houston rapper's performance when a car drove by and shots sprayed out from the vehicle, school spokeswoman Eva Pickens said, citing witness statements to police. The sound of gunfire made people drop to the pavement of the parking lot where the rally was being held to promote community service and voter registration.
Peter Role, a local music promoter, told the Houston Chronicle he heard what sounded “like the Fourth of July.”
“We heard some gunshots and everybody was hitting the ground,” Role said.
Six people, including one male student, were being treated for injuries that were serious but not life-threatening, Pickens said.
Campus police believe the violence resulted from a rivalry between two gangs, one from Missouri City, a suburb southwest of Houston, and the other from Fresno, a small town outside Missouri City, she said.
Before the violence, Houston City Councilman Peter Brown and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, made appearances at the event billed as a “family block party,” and local rapper Trae the Truth performed songs.
