Charges have been filed against a man accused of engaging in a shootout with Houston police last Thursday evening. The City of Houston's news release states that 39-year-old Matthew Donovan Ward is now facing aggravated assault against a public servant. While still hospitalized, Ward was shot by officers at the scene at 2400 Cavalcade Street at around 7:20 p.m.
Initially, the release mentioned four Houston Police Department (HPD) officers discharging their weapons, but a later correction stated that only three officers were involved. None of the officers present during the incident, Officers A. Sosa, D. Gray and C. King, reported sustaining injuries, despite returning fire after Ward, the armed suspect, attempted to shoot with a weapon that subsequently malfunctioned. Having joined the HPD in August 2024, and September of 2019 respectively, the officers were relatively new to the force with varying lengths of service.
According to a news release from Hoodline, reports of a male firing a weapon into the air and at passing vehicles were what initially brought police to the scene. Ward, upon police arrival, pointed his weapon at the officers and tried to fire, leading to the officers shooting him at least once.
After being struck by bullets, the suspect fled on foot but was soon apprehended without further trouble. Detectives D. Hammons and M. Childs of the HPD Special Investigations Unit are investigating the shooting that was precipitated by the suspect's threatening behavior. This investigation is being conducted alongside the Internal Affairs Division and the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
