UPDATE: Houston pleaded guilty on August 19 to possession of a gun in a federal facility with the intent of using that weapon to commit a crime. On Dec. 14, 2021, he was sentenced to four months in prison and 3 years of supervised release.
HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — A man is facing federal charges connected to a shooting at the commissary on Langley Air Force Base. When arrested, the man told police that “demons” told him to kill everyone at the commissary.
Eugene Houston is accused of firing eight shots into the ceiling of the Langley Air Force Base Commissary on March 21. Houston was a civilian contractor who’d worked at the commissary since June 2015.
Houston is charged with the possession of a gun in a federal facility with the intent of using that weapon to commit a crime. He pleaded not guilty to the charge on May 26, and the case is scheduled to go before a federal jury in September.
According to an affidavit filed against Houston, there are clear signs prohibiting the possession of unauthorized weapons on Langley Air Force Base, including outside of the commissary where he worked.
A coworker told police he drove Houston to work around 7 p.m. on the night of the shooting. The coworker didn’t see that Houston had a gun and told police he was acting normally and was in good spirits, according to the affidavit.
About two hours after he arrived at work, Houston pulled out a Glock 45 handgun and fired eight rounds into the ceiling of the commissary. No one was injured in the shooting, which was captured on surveillance video, the affidavit states.
Police detained Houston about five minutes after the shooting. He told officers that “demons” told him to “kill everyone at the commissary.” Instead of shooting a person, Houston told police he shot the “demons” in the ceiling of the commissary, according to the affidavit.
Houston was temporarily committed to inpatient mental health treatment at Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center after the shooting. 10 On Your Side emailed Houston’s attorneys, who declined to comment.
