By Paige Hewitt
The Houston Chronicle
HOUSTON — A man angry about a noisy party opened fire on his Huffman-area neighbors early Sunday, killing a teacher, critically injuring a Houston fire captain and wounding a third man, police said.
Raul Rodriguez, 44, called authorities late Saturday about the noise at a gathering on his neighbor’s 2-acre property in the 300 block of Oak Knoll. He arrived around 12:30 a.m. Sunday at the party with a handgun, flashlight and video camera.
“He got it in his head that they were making too much noise, and he decided to take it into his own hands,” Harris County homicide Sgt. Ben Beall said. “The people at the party were minding their own business.”
Rodriguez, who acknowledged shooting the men, was charged with murder. He told police the shooting was self-defense because the men at the party rushed him. Rodriguez sustained a fracture to his ankle after being tackled by partygoers, police said.
“He had more than ample opportunity to retreat,” Beall added.
Kelly Danaher, 36, a teacher who was hosting a birthday party for his wife, was killed.
Senior HFD Capt. Ricky Johnson, 43, was fighting for his life Sunday at Ben Taub General Hospital.
“He sustained a gunshot to his lower abdomen,” assistant fire chief Karen DuPont said. “They’re just waiting for him to stabilize so they can go back in and do surgery, and that might take a couple days.”
Johnson, recently promoted to captain at Station 74, comes from a family of firefighters, including his father and uncle. He is married with two daughters.
Fellow HFD firefighter David Boudreaux describes his friend as smart and playful. He’s an avid fisher and hunter.
Close friend and firefighter Eric Kellum, 31, said Johnson is gifted at saving lives and with putting firefighters at ease during stressful times.
“When it comes to our job, we see a lot of crazy stuff. Ricky uses his humor to help us handle bad situations,” Kellum said.
Kellum added: “He’s a fighter and hard-headed. He’ll pull through this.”
The third man, shot in the leg, was treated and released from an area hospital.
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