A deadly confrontation in Houston culminated with Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies fatally shooting an armed suspect, sparking an ongoing investigation into the incident that took place at 9700 Bertwood Street on Tuesday afternoon. The male suspect, whose identity has yet to be confirmed by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, was gunned down around 2 p.m., as reported by the City of Houston News.
The chain of events spiraled from a road rage altercation which led deputies to pursue a vehicle matching the suspect's. After the chase entered the Houston jurisdiction, the vehicle crashed and the deceased, along with four others, attempted to escape on foot. "While outside the Houston city limits, Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies located a vehicle that matched the description of a vehicle involved in a road rage incident that had just occurred, and attempted to conduct a traffic stop," detailed HPD Special Investigations Unit Sergeant E. Wohlgemuth and Detectives D. Escobar, C. Walker and N. Barnes. The deputies captured two of them near the crash site while three continued their flight.
Reinforcements arrived, and the pursuit continued until one deputy encountered the eventual victim walking between houses. As the situation rapidly deteriorated, the suspect reportedly reached for his waistband and drew a firearm, refusing to comply with the deputy's orders to halt. "At that time, the deputy discharged his duty weapon at the suspect, who fell to the ground and fired at the deputy, striking his patrol vehicle multiple times," according to the Houston police account. A second deputy arriving at the scene also fired upon the suspect when he pointed his gun at the first responding officer.
Even as the suspect lay injured, the deputies rendered medical aid until paramedics arrived. Nevertheless, the suspect succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. The law enforcement’s response brought one more fugitive into custody with the help of a police K-9 unit, though a fifth suspect remains on the run. Both the HPD Special Investigations Unit and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office are scrutinizing the shooting, as this type of event falls under their remit when occurring within Houston city limits.
