Houston, Texas – It’s another setback for popular Third Ward restaurant, The Turkey Leg Hut.

The Alameda Road, restaurant, closed, after the Houston Health Department found several violations.

In an email sent to KPRC 2, the health department said they ordered the closure on September 19th due to serious health code violations. An inspection revealed 35 violations, which the department says include conditions that “pose an imminent threat to public health.”

The restaurant will remain closed until all the issues have been resolved, a follow up inspection is done and the restaurant is up to safety standards.

The Turkey Leg Hut’s Instagram account had a post saying they were closed over the weekend for renovations.

This comes after the restaurants filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, earlier this year.

A man is in police custody after being charged with shooting his girlfriend during an argument near Downtown Houston.

Francisco Ochoa, 19, was initially charged with manslaughter. However, Judge Frank Aguilar signed a pocket warrant for Ochoa to be arrested on a murder charge on Sept. 18.

According to charging documents, Ochoa brought 24-year-old Joselyn Espinoza to St. Joseph Hospital in Downtown Houston after she had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. She was transported to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead 9:15 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15.

The shooting occurred around 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 15. Surveillance footage at a Palace Inn Motel captured a green Chevrolet Silverado parking on the west side of the building.

After the truck parked, a man—believed to be Ochoa—was seen getting out and aggressively trying to open the passenger’s side door, which was locked. Ochoa went back to the driver’s side of the truck, but Espinoza, the passenger in the vehicle, attempted to lock the door to keep him from being able to get in.

At this point, the man began banging on the driver’s side window with a handgun. He shattered the glass by striking it with the gun, but the gun discharged and presumably struck Espinoza in the head. After the gun fired, Ochoa went back to the passenger’s side and opened the door, and Espinoza’s body fell into his arms. He pushed her body back into the car, got back in, and left the scene.

Detectives attempted to speak with Ochoa, but he refused to answer questions or consent to a search of his truck. Authorities also said that Ochoa initially provided patrol officers with two different statements surrounding the shooting that conflicted each other.

Officers seized Ochoa’s truck and transported it to the Houston Forensic Science Center pending a search warrant. After the warrant was obtained, they found blood in the truck. The driver’s side window was also broken.

Detectives also spoke with Espinoza’s mother and aunt, who said Joselyn had been dating a man named “Francisco” for a couple of months.

Shortly after Houton Police Department announced that Ochoa was wanted in connection to the crime on Spt. 20., he was captured. He is currently in the Harris County Sheriff’s Office’s Inmate Processing Center.

PEARLAND, Texas – There were at least five schools across the Houston metro area that dealt with school threats or violence on Wednesday, resulting in lockdowns or secure modes at campuses, which impacted thousands of students and teachers.

KPRC 2 is aware of at least two arrests connected to the cases as investigations are ongoing, after incidents at Bellaire High School, Elsik High School, Pearland Junior High East, Sterling High School, and Spring High School.

Investigations will often include school police all the way up to federal law enforcement. Students making threats of violence or actually carrying out an act are likely to end up in handcuffs and facing felony charges.

“As soon as a threat is received, it is sent to us. It’s instantly being investigated,” said Pearland Police Officer Chad Rogers.

At Pearland Junior High East, officers investigated a Tik Tok threat of a shooting which turned out to be unsubstantiated. Police found the post didn’t come from a student or community member’s account but instead may have been connected to a nationwide social media scam, according to a message Pearland ISD sent parents.

“Once those comments are made, you can’t take them back. Once the fear is set in place, you can’t take that back,” Rogers said.

The FBI Houston field office posted a notice to students this week, warning them to think before they post amid all the spoofs.

Police have to prioritize the threats to protect student safety but that pulls detectives from investigations and cases involving real victims.

“We’re in a climate where students are often afraid to come to school,” UH professor April Peters said. She’s a former teacher and principal.

The threats cause major learning disruptions, she said, and leaves students feeling uncertain about the legitimacy of them while trying to focus on learning.

“It can be quite the distraction not only for the students, but for the adults who are wanting to keep themselves safe, but also are charged with keeping students safe,” Peters said.

She provided some suggestions for parents to discuss and do with their students.

According to a 2023 study, about 64 percent of people who make shooting threats against schools end up arrested, but Pearland Police said it’s a challenge to track down the source of some of the threats especially when social media is involved. That same study found the person making the threat was not found in about 16 percent of cases.

“Something as simple as posting and hitting send on social media is ending up in felony charges for some of these young adults,” Rogers said. “There is a zero tolerance policy towards any type of threat towards a school.”