Investigators say the man’s girlfriend found him unresponsive just after dawn on New Year’s Day.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A 43-year-old man was found dead with a gunshot wound on the front porch of his apartment early Thursday, Jan. 1, in the 12600 block of Woodforest Boulevard in east Harris County, the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives are examining how the man ended up on the porch and who fired the shot. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the man’s live-in girlfriend discovered him shortly before 6 a.m. and called for help. Deputies arrived just after 6:30 a.m. and pronounced him dead at the scene. The case opened the year with a homicide investigation at a large apartment complex along Woodforest Boulevard near Normandy Street, a busy corridor lined with multifamily housing and shops. Authorities have not released the man’s name, pending notification of relatives. No arrests were announced Thursday, and investigators said they were canvassing the complex for witnesses and video.
According to Sgt. Greg Pinkins of the sheriff’s office, the man left the apartment around 1:30 a.m. and returned at some point before he was found. The girlfriend told deputies she did not hear a disturbance during the night. Detectives marked evidence around the porch and a walkway while deputies blocked off the area with tape. Investigators said they were working to determine the exact time of the shooting and whether it happened elsewhere or at the doorstep. The sheriff’s office said the county medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to confirm cause and manner of death and to help set a timeline.
Residents in neighboring buildings described a quiet overnight leading into the holiday morning, with some reporting they saw patrol vehicles but did not know what happened until daylight. The apartment complex sits in unincorporated east Harris County, where the sheriff’s office is the primary law enforcement agency. The stretch of Woodforest Boulevard near Normandy has multiple entrances and parking lots, with security cameras posted at building corners and breezeways. Detectives said they planned to pull and review recordings from the complex and nearby businesses to track the man’s route after 1:30 a.m. Investigators did not immediately release details about a potential motive or whether a weapon was recovered.
Officials said homicide detectives and crime scene units were assigned to the case Thursday morning. Standard steps include interviewing the girlfriend and any neighbors who were awake between 1:30 a.m. and dawn, collecting doorbell and surveillance video, and sending physical evidence to the county crime lab for testing. The sheriff’s office said any public update would follow once the medical examiner completes initial findings and detectives verify the shooting timeline. No court filings were listed Thursday, and the agency did not announce a person of interest.
By late morning, yellow tape still ringed the front walk while investigators moved between units and the parking lot. A few residents paused to watch as deputies photographed the porch and took measurements. “People are headed to work; they want to know what happened,” said a neighbor who declined to give a name. Another resident said she awoke to flashing lights. “It was quiet otherwise,” she said. Sgt. Pinkins asked anyone who drove in or out around 2–5 a.m. to share dashcam footage with detectives.
The investigation remained open Thursday afternoon with the man’s identity withheld pending notification. Detectives said they expect preliminary autopsy results in the coming days and will announce new information if a suspect or vehicle is identified.
Author note: Last updated January 2, 2026.