Father of 3 fatally shot outside northeast Houston Walgreens Man struck by gunfire intended for 3 teens

A father of three who stopped at a Walgreen's store in northeast Houston for a snack was fatally shot early Sunday morning, a bystander struck by gunfire intended for a group of teenagers, police said.

The victim, 49-year-old Edward Long, had stopped at the store at Tidwell and Homestead with his girlfriend. He was shot at about 1 a.m. as he walked into the store.

Long "had nothing to do with this incident, other than being here at the wrong time." said Robert Klementich, a Houston police detective.

Klementich said there were "strong indications" the drive-by shooting was gang-related. Long was simply caught in the crossfire. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The teenagers were also struck but sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Two of the teens, both 18, were taken by ambulance to Ben Taub Hospital. The third, a 15-year-old, was transported by private vehicle to Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital.

Long's girlfriend, Melinda Moreno, and others posted tributes to Long, who lived in north Houston and had attended Kashmere High School, according to his Facebook profile.

"RIP I love you so much I am so full of pain [right] now," Moreno wrote on Facebook. "Only God knows why."

Moreno's mother, Joann Moreno, wrote on Facebook that her daughter and her boyfriend went to the store that night "not knowing that this was going to be the last trip to Walgreens together."

"He was a son and a father and a brother and uncle and a friend to many," she added.

Police are asking for the public's help in identifying and locating the person responsible for the shooting.

A candlelight vigil for Long will be held Monday at 7:30 p.m. at Rosewood Park.