Three people died and two were injured in the tragedy in Houston

A man evicted from his Houston-area home for nonpayment of rent shot and killed five neighbors, three of them, after setting the house on fire to evict them, police said.

The gunman was shot dead by the police.

The incident happened around 1 a.m. Sunday in a residential and industrial area in southwest Houston. Police and firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving reports of the fire, Police Chief Troy Finner said.

The assailant shot five other tenants while leaving the home, possibly with a shotgun, Finner said. Two people died on the spot and one died at the hospital.

Firefighters rescued two other injured people, whose injuries were not life-threatening, the police chief explained.

The man opened fire as firefighters battled the blaze, forcing them to take cover until police arrived, found and killed the man, Finner said.

Officials have not released the identities of the dead. Neither police nor firefighters were injured, they said.

“I’ve seen things I haven’t seen in 32 years, and it’s something that happens over and over again,” Finner said. “We’re asking the community for solidarity.”