A woman was killed by a stray bullet while she was sleeping in her Houston apartment, in what police have called a “senseless crime.”
Houston man charged with manslaughter after stray bullet kills woman in her apartment
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said that Bethany Mefford, 29, was shot in the head by Darius Lewis, who fired his gun at people breaking into vehicles in the same apartment complex as Mefford’s. Lewis, who lived in a nearby building, fired across a parking lot and the bullet went through the wall of Mefford’s apartment, killing her. He has been charged with manslaughter.
According to court records, Lewis fired his gun to scare off car thieves, shooting once into the ground and then firing more rounds when they “were not moving fast enough for him.” Prosecutors allege that one of the additional shots fired by Lewis went through Mefford’s apartment.
Mefford’s aunt, Lana Higinbotham, said that Mefford was a mother of three young boys and had moved to the Houston area several years ago after her mother and stepfather received job transfers to Texas.
Higinbotham said that Mefford’s death has highlighted the need for people to be more responsible with their guns
Lewis is due in court on Friday. The use and role of guns in Texas have been under scrutiny recently amid changes in state law and two recent mass shootings in which 13 people were killed. In 2021, Texas lawmakers approved legislation allowing people to carry handguns without a license, as well as the background check and training that had gone with it.
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