One dead and 14 injured in drive-by shooting during candlelight vigil near Houston

Police say about 50 had gathered at a candlelight vigil held for a person ho was killed inside his home

A drive-by shooting during a candlelight vigil near Houston, Texas, has killed a person and injured 14 others. (ABC13)

A drive-by shooting during a candlelight vigil near Houston, Texas, has killed a person and injured 14 others.

The incident occurred at around 6.40pm on Sunday night when a crowd of around 50 people gathered for a celebration at Baytown, about 40km west of Houston, Harris County sheriff Ed Gonzales said, according to the Associated Press.

The sheriff confirmed the death and said the number of those injured from the shooting had risen to 14. Three of those injured were in critical condition and were taken to hospital using an air ambulance service.

The sheriff added that the others had non-fatal injuries.

Police said it was too early to tell whether the shooting was the result of any gang-related activity.

No arrests have been made by the police yet as the shooters are still at large.

Police said they are looking for a red Toyota with no license plate, reported Fox26Houston.

Chaotic scenes were witnessed at the site during the shooting. Witnesses said that they heard at least 20-30 shots being fired.

“People were screaming and running to their cars,” one of the witnesses, Sidney Williams, toldKTRK-TV, a local television station owned and operated by ABC.

Two of the injured were the pastor and his wife, said witnesses to ABC13.

One of the other injured victims could be a child, reported the Houston Chronicle newspaper.

Authorities, however, have not yet revealed the ages of any the victims.

The vigil was held in memory of a man who was killed inside his home a couple of weeks ago, reported KTRK-TV.

“Right as they were releasing the balloons up into the air was when the vehicle came,” Mr Gonzales told reporters. “Almost at that exact time is when they opened fire into a crowd.”