A man was shot by Houston police were involved in a tense encounter that left him critically wounded, as authorities were attempting to detain a woman in Downtown Houston last night, according to multiple reports.
The incident took place shortly before 10 p.m. near the 300 block of Capitol Street. The initial call was regarding a suspicious person allegedly armed with a weapon, Click2Houston reports. A security guard had requested the woman to vacate the premises, but she did not comply and subsequently walked off. Upon the officers' arrival, they managed to track down and started to detain her.
It was during this altercation that an unidentified man approached the officers. In a statement obtained by FOX26, the Houston Police Department (HPD) stated the officers issued several verbal commands to the man, demanding he stop and show his hands. Reportedly, the man ignored these commands and, in what was described as a "sudden move" towards the officers, prompted one of them to discharge their weapon multiple times, striking him.
The man received immediate medical attention at the scene before being transported to a hospital in critical condition. According to Click2Houston, the woman was also taken to the hospital, but for an unrelated medical issue. The officer involved in the shooting, who has been with the HPD for just under two years, has been placed on administrative leave, a standard procedure in such incidents, while an investigation is pending.
The investigation is being conducted by HPD's Internal Affairs, its Special Investigations Unit, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, and remains in the preliminary stages at this time.
