HOUSTON – A Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy shot and killed the man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend on Christmas Eve at Hermann Park, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were tracking down multiple leads regarding the whereabouts of the suspect, Albert Benjamin Simon, when they found him sitting on a bench near the teahouse garden, officials said.
When the deputies went to apprehend the suspect, Simon began to yell, “shoot me, shoot me” while reaching for something in a bag, officials said.
The 52-year-old man then ran from the deputies. One deputy opened fire and shot the suspect at least twice, officials said.
The deputy-involved shooting was reported 3:15 p.m. Saturday at 6202 Hermann Park Drive. Simon was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead at 3:38 p.m., officials said.
A semi-automatic pistol was found in Simon’s backpack, according to officials. The Jeep he was initially driving after the shooting on Christmas Eve was found in Dallas. Officials believe Simon switched cars in Dallas and returned to Houston in a different car.
The Houston Police Department is in charge of investigating the deputy-involved shooting.
No one else was injured in the shooting. Police ask the public to avoid this area.
Christmas Eve shooting
According to officials, Simon forced his way into a home on Obsidian Drive where his estranged ex-girlfriend, Carolee Dawn Taylor, was celebrating her birthday on Dec. 24. Deputies said Simon pulled the 46-year-old woman from the home at gunpoint before shooting her multiple times on the front porch.
Simon fled the scene leading to a four-day search.
“He came up with pretty much weapon drawn and scared everybody, everybody started to scatter. He was very focused on what he was coming here for and she didn’t have a chance," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
A longtime friend of Taylor, Bridget Moore said she’d never met Simon and had limited information about him.
"I know that (Taylor) tried to break up with him several times and that she broke up with him for good last week,” she said.
While she didn’t know how Taylor and Simon met, Moore said they dated for a few months.
Taylor leaves behind a daughter. The family has set up a crowdfunding account to help support Taylor’s daughter’s education.
Here is the full press conference following the deputy-involved shooting: