1 dead, 1 wounded after shooting at Sugar Land house party

One person is dead and another wounded after gunfire broke out Sunday at a Sugar Land-area house party packed with teenagers.

Around 3 a.m., Fort Bend County sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call for shots fired in the Greatwood subdivision.

When they arrived at Stone Arbor near Arbor View, kids were still fleeing the chaos - and when deputies entered the home, they found one man dead and another wounded by gunfire.

The second victim was taken by Life Flight to the hospital, but authorities could not immediately offer an update on his condition.

Family and friends identified the deceased victim as DeMonte Ziegler, 18 years old. The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office identified the injured man as Ira Donahou, 21, of Houston.

Ziegler and Donahou were arguing at the party, according to that agency. Soon, the men withdrew handguns and started firing at one another.

Several party-goers stayed behind to talk to authorities, who blocked off the street for hours as they tried to piece together what happened.

One young man was shot and another wounded at a Sugar Land house party. One young man was shot and another wounded at a Sugar Land house party. Photo: Metro Video Photo: Metro Video Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close 1 dead, 1 wounded after shooting at Sugar Land house party 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Although initially deputies said it wasn't clear whether any adults were home at the time of the shooting, Nehls later told KTRK the homeowner and his family were out of town on vacation and had given the key to a dog-sitter.

The sheriff's office contacted the homeowner, who was "somewhat in shock" to discover his house had become a crime scene in his absence.

"He didn't expect any of this," Nehls said. "I mean, if you were on vacation and you entrusted someone to watch your house, how would you feel if you received a phone call from me?"

By early Sunday morning, sheriff's deputies had not yet announced any arrests or released a suspect description.

"The results are awful, (but) the situation happens more often than you think," said Matthew Gardner of Houston, who identified himself as a family friend.

Gardner described Ziegler as social. "Everybody really knew him," he said.