Witnesses called police at around 6.30am this morning local time after spotting the suspect firing at cars and other vehicles in the car park of Randalls shopping centre in Wesleyan Street, in southwest Houston.
He is described as a black male armed with a revolver, and was seen behind some trees as he opened fire on vehicles in the area.
Firefighters and officers could be seen running up and down the street as the gunfire continued, but the police have now confirmed the suspect has been shot by their officers.
Officers are not looking for any other suspects but while officials said the shooter had been 'neutralized,' they would not elaborate on his injuries.
Many questions remain as to a motive for the violent shooting.
An alert sent out by police said: “The Houston Police Department is responding to an active shooter situation in a shopping centre near the corner of Wesleyan and Bissonnet in southwest Houston.
“At this time, the shooting scene is believed to be contained but residents are asked to please avoid the area as it is still an active response and investigation scene.”
A bomb squad has also been dispatched to the incident which is still considered active after a suspicious vehicle was found near the scene.
It is believed at least six have been injured in the shoot-out, but their conditions are unknown.
Houston Police tweeted: "Several people shot by suspect are being transported to area hospitals; unknown exact number or severity of injuries #hounews."
Our bomb squad will be checking suspect's vehicle. Crime scene covers a multiple block area near Weslayan at Bissonnet.#hounews
Antoine Wilson, who witnessed the shooting, was shaken up after being caught in the crossfire.
He said: "I literally heard the gunshots past my face.
"It's a hard pill to swallow."
He added there was a steady shooting back and forth as officers worked to bring the active shooting situation to a close.
Emergency vehicles are in the area of a strip center bordered by Weslayan, Bissonnet and Law Street, with a large police presence seen near a shopping centre.
Officers have focussed on an apartment complex on nearby Law Street, located behind the shopping centre.
Traffic has been shut down on Weslayan in an attempt to protect drivers in the area.
Houston Fire Department’s Jay Evans said: "We received a call at 6:29 that we had a shooting at the Petco store...the first units were directed to the parking lot where the shooting was still active.
"We now have approximately 20 EMS personnel vehicles on scene. We do not know, we do not have a count at this time as to how many people have been shot, but all of the people will be directed to local hospitals in the area that are going to be victims."
Social media users have already began posting messages of support for those injured in the incident.
Mandi tweeted: “Prayers for #Houston area residents & first responders affected by the active shooter.”
The attack comes three days after a 20-year-old man shot and killed five people at a Washington state mall.
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