Authorities have identified the suspect in last week’s shooting near Pasadena Memorial High School that left two students injured.
Damian Alexander Saiz, 19, has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Officials say he is not a student at the school.
Investigators believe Saiz was the individual seen in video footage wearing a black hoodie with a red design, black shorts, and sandals while carrying a gun. Further reports indicate that he allegedly threatened a friend who refused to drive him away from the scene.
What Happened?
The shooting took place on February 28, just after school dismissal at 2:55 p.m., in a parking lot across the street from Pasadena Memorial High School. What started as a planned fight escalated into gunfire.
Pasadena police arrived within three minutes of receiving the call and found two injured students. One had been shot in the chest and was airlifted to the hospital, where doctors found he had a collapsed lung and a broken rib. The second victim, whose age was not released, sustained a gunshot wound to the arm that required stitches.
Witnesses reported that a fight among several boys quickly turned violent when one of them pulled out a gun and began shooting into the crowd. Video footage provided to Pasadena ISD police confirmed these reports.
After firing three to four shots, the suspect fled in a maroon Chevrolet Silverado with at least two other individuals.
How Investigators Identified the Suspect
Authorities used the Flock license plate camera system to track down the vehicle, linking it to a specific home address where the truck was later found. Additionally, Crime Stoppers received a tip identifying a social media account under the name “Damo Saiz,” where the user was seen wearing the same hoodie as the suspect recorded at the crime scene.
Pasadena police later spotted three individuals leaving the home and pulled them over for a traffic violation. Investigators determined that two of them were present at the scene of the fight—one was the driver of the truck, and the other was involved in the altercation.
The truck’s driver told police that after gunshots rang out, he ran back to his vehicle, unaware of who fired them. He said that Saiz, whom he had known since fifth grade, got into the front passenger seat with a gun tucked in his waistband. Once the driver realized Saiz was the shooter, he told him to get out, but Saiz allegedly pointed the gun at him and ordered him to drive away.
According to the driver, they eventually stopped in a large field, where Saiz exited the truck and walked away. The driver stated he has not spoken to him since.
Authorities are now searching for Saiz. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the Pasadena Police Department at 713-477-1221 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
