At approximately 7:20 PM yesterday, HPD Officers became aware of a vehicle in a parking lot after receiving multiple calls. An officer on self-initiated patrol located the vehicle in a parking lot and ran the license plate, which confirmed the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Fort Bend County.
Multiple officers arrived at approximately 7:24 PM and gave the individual inside the vehicle numerous commands to exit so they could conduct an investigation and determine whether he was the suspect connected to the stolen vehicle.
According to HPD, the individual refused to comply with officers’ commands for approximately 25 minutes. Officers then began approaching the vehicle. As they did, the driver’s side door opened, and the individual made a movement that led officers to believe he may have been reaching for or displaying a weapon. At this time, investigators have not confirmed whether the individual actually possessed a weapon, and that remains part of the ongoing investigation.
Officers discharged their firearms. Assistant Chief Skelton said he did not yet have information regarding how many shots were fired or how many officers discharged their weapons because the investigation is still in its preliminary stages.
Following the shooting, officers backed away and waited for patrol support personnel to deploy a drone to determine whether there was any movement inside the vehicle. Once the scene was deemed safe, officers removed the individual from the vehicle. The suspect was transported by the Houston Fire Department to a local hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition.
Body-worn camera footage will be released within 30 days.
