2 dead in north Houston car lot shooting

A woman reacts at the scene of a north Houston car lot shooting that left two dead and sent another to a hospital on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015. A woman reacts at the scene of a north Houston car lot shooting that left two dead and sent another to a hospital on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015. Photo: Cody Duty , Houston Chronicle Photo: Cody Duty , Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close 2 dead in north Houston car lot shooting 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Police are investigating a "targeted" shooting that left a Houston man in critical condition at the hospital Thursday night after he was wounded in a hail of gunfire that killed both his father and his uncle.

In the incident, Casey Contreras, 22, was struck shortly before noon in the office of the family-owned Immaculate Auto Sales, 202 Little York near Airline.

Found dead inside the office were his father, Tony Contreras and uncle Jesse Contreras, Houston police said.

A mechanic who worked at the car lot found all three bodies in a pool of blood in the office.

Houston police quickly swarmed over the crime scene. While the motive wasn't immediately clear to the HPD detectives, they said one thing was glaringly obvious.

"These people were targeted," said Sgt. Brian Harris with the HPD homicide division.

Police said nothing appeared to have been taken from the business.

"Somebody walked in there and in less than two seconds, took out three people," said Fil Waters, an HPD homicide detective. "Whoever did this knew what they were doing."

Jesse Contreras was rushed by ambulance to Ben Taub General Hospital. Police said Thursday evening he was in critical condition.

Police said it appeared all three men had been shot in the head.

"This wasn't just a random business that was selected. Whoever attacked these people knew who and what they wanted," Harris said.

After the shooting, people who appeared to be family members began arriving at the dealership. Many appeared to be in great emotional distress and declined to comment about the slayings.

Police said a man in his 30s was seen running away after he was spotted watching the scene. He was later released after police questioned him.

This car dealership receives many threats due to the nature of its business, Harris said. They handle repossessions and late payments, where officials say that emotions can run high.

"As far as motive, we're working through that right now," Harris said. "It's a complex crime scene but we do believe we have some good evidence."

Police canvassed the area for additional clues.

"Nobody heard any gunshots," Harris said.

Reney Rogers works at the small day care center next door. She's known the staff at the car lot for close to 12 years.

She says that the two men who ran Immaculate Auto Sales were nice and always understanding with payment plans.

"We looked out for each other," Rogers says.

Police said the security camera system at the business appears to be "state of the art" but couldn't immediately say whether it would show what happened at the business.