A suspected gunman reportedly set fire to several residences in Houston early Sunday and began shooting people as they escaped the flames, killing three before police shot and killed the shooter, authorities said, APA reports citing Fox News.

Firefighters and police responded just after 1 a.m. to 8020 Dunlap Street, which Houston Police Chief Troy Finner described as a residence that rents out multiple rooms.

Finner said the suspect, identified as a Black man in his 40s who was armed with a shotgun, set fire to the residences and waited for the occupants to escape outside before firing on them.

“I’ve seen things that I haven’t seen before in 32 years, and it’s happened time and time again,” Finner said. “We just ask that the community come together.”

Source: Azeri-Press News Agency