HOUSTON – A man was shot and killed by officers in Houston early Monday after a chase that began in Pasadena.
According to police, the chase started about midnight after Pasadena police officers tried to stop a vehicle on Shaver Street that was believed to have been stolen during an aggravated robbery. Shaver Street appears to serve as the border between the cities of South Houston and Pasadena.
Pasadena officers asked for assistance from Houston police about 12:15 a.m. as the chase entered the southeast part of the city, according to police. After about 15 minutes, the chase ended when the pursued vehicle crashed into a Pasadena police cruiser on Pershing Street, police said.
Police said the people who were in the car jumped out and fled the scene on foot. Police said officers chased one person who was in the car into a vacant lot, where the person is believed to have fired a pistol. Police said two Houston officers and two Pasadena officers fired their guns, killing the person.
Police said they recovered a gun at the scene of the shooting.
The person who was killed by officers was only identified by police as an 18-year-old male.
Two other people, an 18-year-old male and a 21-year-old male, were later taken into custody, police said.
Police said the special investigations division of the Houston Police Department and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the case, which is standard policy after this type of shooting.
Officials remained at the scene for about nine hours investigating Monday. However, the scene has left neighbors unsettled.
“At that moment I felt helpless,” said Calvetta Brandyberg who was putting her kids to bed when the gunfire erupted. “You know I am screaming ‘get on the floor, get on the floor,’ and you don’t know where the gunshots are coming from, what can you do?” Brandyberg said.
“Bullets don’t have no names, it could be me you, anybody,” said another neighbor.