2-year-old boy fatally shot, two men injured in home invasion in Spring

Harris County Sheriff released this photo of the 2-year-old victim, who he identified only as "TJ." Harris County Sheriff released this photo of the 2-year-old victim, who he identified only as "TJ." Photo: Harris County Sheriff's Office Photo: Harris County Sheriff's Office Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close 2-year-old boy fatally shot, two men injured in home invasion in Spring 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

A 2-year-old boy was shot to death Tuesday night in a home invasion in Spring that also injured his father and another man, authorities said.

The two men were in stable condition at area hospitals overnight, authorities said. The Harris County Sheriff's Office identified the toddler as Ivory T. West. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez identified him as "TJ" in a Twitter post.

"Kamren (Jones), Jazmine (Barnes), Maleah (Davis), and now TJ," Gonzalez said. "Remember their names & the many other young lives taken recently from our community due to senseless violence. The grief & anger are overwhelming. The death of a child is the worst trauma that any human can experience."

Investigators with the Harris County Sheriff's Office are looking for two black male suspects, ages 25 to 35, wearing a red hoodie and a black jacket. They are between 5-feet 10-inches and 6-feet tall, authorities said.

The shooting was first reported around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday at an apartment in the 2800 block of Trailing Vine.

Deputies said the child was sitting with his father and his father's friend in an open garage when two men approached them. The attackers started shooting and struck the father multiple times. The father's friend was shot in the leg, and the 2-year-old was killed on the scene, authorities said.

The child's mother was upstairs with a 1-month-old baby. She came downstairs when she thought she heard fireworks, and an attacker immediately demanded money from her at gunpoint, deputies said.

She told the attackers they didn't have any money. Later the gunmen fled on foot south of the complex. Investigators don't have a description of a possible getaway vehicle.

"We don't know if there's a backstory on this yet," said Lt. R. Minchew with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.

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