MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas — Investigators in Huntsville are comparing notes with Oklahoma City detectives to determine if Friday's shootings of three men on motorcycles were related to another shootout.
Huntsville police also identified two men killed in the "targeted attack" that shut down I-45 North for hours on Friday afternoon. Romero Sosa, 69, of La Porte, and Andrew Cole, 43, of Deer Park, died at the scene.
A third Huntsville victim, whose name hasn't been released, was airlifted to a Houston hospital in critical condition.
Police said the victims were wearing clothing and the insignia of an outlaw motorcycle gang and Bandidos paraphernalia was found at the scene.
Montgomery County biker shot
Earlier Friday, a 32-year-old motorcyclist called 911 and said he'd been shot near the 25700 block of I-45 near Oakwood Drive in Montgomery County. He was rushed to an area hospital but he didn't survive.
Investigators believe he was also part of a biker gang and the shootings were all connected.
Anyone with information is asked to call either the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office at 936-760-5800 or the Huntsville Police Department at 936-291-5427.
Oklahoma City biker gang shootout
Huntsville police said Monday they are looking at the possibility the Friday shootings were related to a deadly shootout between rival motorcycle gangs at an Oklahoma City bar.
According to court records, that shootout on April 7 started with a fight between Bandidos and Homietos.
Witnesses said it started when a Bandido hit a member of the Homietos in the head from behind at the Whiskey Barrel Saloon. A fight erupted, and when it was over, three people were dead and three more were wounded.
Bandidos background
In 2015, a brawl between Bandidos and rival gang Cossacks at a bar in Waco ended with nine dead and two dozen wounded.
In 2016, the club's president, Jeffrey Pike, was arrested at his home in Conroe on several federal charges unrelated to the brawl. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
The five previous presidents of the Bandidos had also done time in prison.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Bandidos were founded in Galveston County in 1966.
They are one of the largest motorcycle gangs and have as many as 2,500 members worldwide with a strong presence in the Houston area.