Authorities said a 24-year-old man waited outside a young woman’s home after church and was later struck by her boyfriend’s vehicle.
HOUSTON, Texas — A 19-year-old woman was shot outside her home in north Houston late Tuesday after returning from church, and the suspected gunman was then run over by the woman’s boyfriend as he tried to stop the attack, authorities said.
The case quickly drew attention because investigators said the three people at the center of it had all recently attended the same church, and the suspect had already been told to stay away. Harris County authorities said the woman was taken to a hospital for emergency treatment after being struck in the shoulder, while the suspect was treated for injuries and later booked on felony charges. The investigation remained active Wednesday as deputies worked to sort out the exact sequence of events, possible motive and whether earlier warning signs were missed.
Deputies were called about 9:37 p.m. Tuesday to the 2100 block of Hartwick Road in the Lindale Farms area near Aldine Westfield Road, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said the woman had just returned home from a church service and pulled in near the garage when she realized a man was on the property. Lt. Roosevelt Berry said the suspect had been lingering around the home for days. As the confrontation unfolded, the woman tried to get away, but gunfire erupted. Authorities said she was shot in the shoulder, with at least one round fired through or toward her vehicle. Her boyfriend, who had been following behind in another car after church, arrived as the scene turned violent.
What happened next became another major focus of the case. Authorities said the boyfriend heard the gunshots and saw the suspect chasing the woman. Deputies said the suspect, identified as 24-year-old Emanuel Marin, also fired at the boyfriend’s vehicle, striking it. Berry said the boyfriend then drove into Marin because he feared for his own life and was trying to stop the armed man from escaping or firing again. Marin suffered injuries that included a broken leg, according to local reports and sheriff’s office accounts. Both the woman and Marin were taken to hospitals. The woman underwent surgery, while Marin was treated and later released into sheriff’s custody. Officials said both were expected to survive.
Investigators later said Marin was not a stranger to the people involved. Authorities and neighbors told local media that the woman is the daughter of a pastor at a nearby church on the same street. Deputies said Marin had recently attended that church but had been told about a month earlier not to come back. The sheriff’s office said his behavior had become unacceptable, and another local report said he had made threats to church staff. Officials have described the case as involving an apparent fixation or infatuation, though they also said there was no documented history of prior stalking calls or a restraining order tied to the incident. That left open questions about how long the woman had felt unsafe and what contact, if any, took place before Tuesday night.
By Wednesday, prosecutors had filed charges against Marin that included aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and burglary of a habitation with intent to commit a felony. Those charges suggested investigators believe he unlawfully entered or remained on the property with criminal intent before the shooting. Authorities had not announced any charge against the boyfriend as of Wednesday evening, and the sheriff’s office gave no indication that additional suspects were being sought. Detectives were seen examining both the home and the nearby church property as they collected evidence and interviewed witnesses. Investigators still needed to determine whether Marin arrived armed with a plan, whether he had been watching the woman’s movements and what evidence may exist from phones, cameras or church records.
Neighbors described a normally quiet stretch of road shaken by flashing lights, crime-scene tape and a burst of violence tied to people from the same worship community. The case also stood out for the narrow timeline: a woman returns home from church, sees someone in her yard and is shot within moments. Officials have not released her name, and they have not publicly described any statement from her after surgery. Even so, the fragments already on record point to a deeply personal encounter rather than a random crime. Berry said deputies are continuing to piece together the relationship among those involved, while church members and nearby residents wait for a fuller explanation of how a dispute that appears to have been building for days ended in gunfire outside a family home.
The suspect remained in custody Wednesday, and investigators said the case was still developing as they prepared additional evidence for prosecutors and reviewed what led up to the shooting on April 14.
Author note: Last updated April 16, 2026.