HOUSTON – It's been more than two weeks since Harris County Precinct 7 Deputy Constable Alden Clopton was shot several times during an unprovoked ambush in Houston's Third Ward, and authorities are asking for the public's help in finding the shooter.
Steps from his patrol car in the dead of night on April 13, someone surprised, shot, and nearly killed Clopton. It appears the hunt to find who did it has hit a roadblock.
"We feel somebody out there probably saw something or heard something, and we're asking you please, please come forward," Harris County Precinct 7 Constable May Walker said.
Surveillance video obtained by Channel 2 Investigates apparently hasn't yielded any blockbuster clues for police.
"That's the unusual part of this. We don't know and neither one of the officers were able to identify anybody, then the guy ran," Walker said.
Clopton won't be running calls for awhile. His bulletproof vest saved him that night. But he remains in the hospital in fair condition.
His prognosis is good, said his boss, but he'll stay off the job six months, maybe longer.
[PHOTOS OF CLOPTON, INVESTIGATION SCENE]
According to Harris County Precinct 7 Constable May Walker, the shooter fired six shots. Despite having on a bulletproof vest, four bullets hit Clopton in the back and side.
Doctors worked to remove two bullets that lodged in his abdomen and one near his heart. While they did not remove the fourth bullet, doctors were able repair the damage.
Clopton, a field training officer who is an 11-year veteran of Precinct 7, comes from a family of law enforcement officials. His wife is a deputy with the Harris County Sheriff's Office, and they have five children.
The Crime Stoppers of Houston Fallen Hero Project is offering an increased reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the charging and/or arrest of the suspect(s) responsible for the ambush attack of Harris County Precinct 7 Deputy Constable Alden Clopton. Information may be reported by calling 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org. Tips may also be sent via a text message by texting the following: TIP610 plus the information to CRIMES (274637) or via their mobile app (Crime Stoppers Houston). All tipsters remain anonymous.