PATTISON, Texas – A man was shot to death Wednesday by a SWAT officer who was serving a warrant at a home in Waller County, authorities said.
"It happened right in front of my house,” said LaGena Cooper, of Pattison. “I had to tell my kids get inside the house."
Cooper said she raced home from work to find Avenue I blocked off and police tape encircling a neighbor's home near the city park in Pattison.
Investigators said the Waller County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Unit were executing the warrant around 5:30 a.m. at a home on Avenue I in Pattison, when a man at the home pointed a gun at the SWAT team. A member of the team opened fire, shooting the man at least once, deputies said.
He was taken to Memorial Katy Hermann Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A neighbor spoke with KPRC by phone.
"He's always very positive,” said a neighbor who did not wish to be identified. “He's helped me out with many things on my property. To find out this information is shocking because he never displayed any kind of anything that justified this type of behavior, I'm very shocked to hear this news.”
No other injuries were reported.
A source with knowledge of the investigation told KPRC that while serving the warrant an entry team knocked loudly on the door and broke a window.
When no one answered, the team forced its way in. A man and woman were inside the bedroom. The source told KPRC the man told his wife to call police.
The source said the man grabbed a gun and when SWAT members approached, he pointed it at the officers. That's when he was shot and killed.
A neighbor said he heard a similar account.
“He was just home, heard the door kicked in,” said the neighbor. “He brought a firearm, told his girlfriend to call the police. Shots were fired. Man down.”
The shooting left the neighborhood looking for answers.
“We were all calling each other this morning,” said Cooper. “No one knows what was going on or happening.”
The Texas Rangers and the Waller County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the shooting.