Shots fired during funeral of alleged Houston gang member

Gunfire was exchanged at a church on Saturday afternoon during a reputed gang leader's funeral service, leaving the hundreds in attendance panicked.

An off-duty officer attending the service ducked outside to return fire after a occupants of a gray Buick fired shots outside Gloryland Missionary Baptist Church in the 7400 block of Coffee Street, said HPD spokeswoman Jodi Silva.

Houston Police Officer N. Solomon, who has been on the force less than a year, will be placed on three-day administrative paid leave, as is standard practice in an officer-involved shooting, Silva said.

The suspects fled in the Buick, which was found abandoned nearby in the neighborhood, she said.

The funeral was for Robert Batiste, 30, who was shot to death Aug. 8 in the 7000 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Activist Quanell X, who spoke at the funeral, said Batiste was a gang leader and had been shot by members of a rival gang. He said the shots fired Saturday were also the result of gang tension, but Silva did not confirm that.

"It's too early to know if it was gang-related," she said.

Quanell said he had told an HPD sergeant and lieutenant that rival gang members had threatened to "shoot up the church," and they had assured him there would be a strong police presence at the funeral.

When he arrived shortly before 11 a.m., he said he saw only one marked police car.

"They lied," he said. "They put innocent lives in danger."

When the first shots were fired, Quanell said there was panic inside the church, and some young men in the congregation took out their own weapons, he said.

Silva, however, said there was no evidence of injuries or property damage.

Two or more HPD officers were posted outside the church and pursued the Buick after the shots were fired, she said.

carol.christian@chron.com