Gunfire rang out on Tidwell Road Thursday night, leading to a confrontation between Houston Police and a gunman, now identified as 36-year-old Christopher Michael Rodriguez. According to the City of Houston News, authorities have slapped Rodriguez with multiple charges, including aggravated assault of a public servant after an officer fired his weapon at the suspect.
Running in front of a store at 600 East Tidwell Road, with a pistol in hand, Rodriguez seemed to prompt the Thursday night drama. Responding to the sound of gunshots around 8:20 p.m., HPD Officer J. Eakins, spotted the suspect and ordered Rodriguez to drop his weapon. Despite his efforts, the suspect refused to comply with commands and continued to flee, leading Eakins to discharge his weapon, fearing for his own safety when Rodriguez turned towards him still clutching the pistol.
Rodriguez, whose previous run-ins with the law have earned him a felon status, is now facing charges that also include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and illegal possession of a firearm. The suspect remains hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries sustained during the incident.
As a result of the gunfire that Rodriguez admits to firing into the air during an earlier altercation, it's reported that no one else was injured. While responding to the chaotic scene, Officer Eakins, a member of the North Patrol Division since November 2020, managed to detain Rodriguez until backup arrived. Houston Fire Department paramedics provided medical services before whisking the wounded man away to an area hospital.
The officers involved, as well as HPD's Special Investigations Unit, including Sergeant D. Lane and Detectives O. Flores, J. Montalvo, and W. Elliott, remain entangled in the ensuing investigation to unravel the complete narrative of the shooting incident.
