SPRING, Texas – An hourslong standoff came to an end Wednesday in Spring with no arrest as the search continues for a person of interest believed to be connected to the shooting of a tow truck driver earlier in the day.
According to a tweet posted about 12:30 p.m., Harris County deputies were at an apartment in the 21600 block of Spring Plaza Drive, where a person believed to be connected to the shooting was believed to have been barricaded.
Our @HCSOSWAT Unit has been called to an apartment in the 21600 block of Spring Plaza, where a possible suspect in this morning's wrecker driver shooting may be barricaded. Please avoid the area. Residents are urged to stay inside. PIO is en route. #hounews https://t.co/kwlKcE0YnM
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) February 5, 2020
“Please avoid the area,” the tweet read. “Residents are urged to stay inside.”
Authorities said they were able to obtain a search warrant to go into the apartment but said the apartment was empty.
The scene of the standoff was not far from a ditch where the tow truck driver was found shot in the chest Wednesday morning.
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An investigation is underway after deputies said a repossession truck driver crashed into a ditch after being shot in the chest in north Harris County.
The incident happened just before 7 a.m. Wednesday on Spring Stuebner Road and Spring Plaza Drive near Spring, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Gonzalez said authorities responded to what they thought was a major crash, but when deputies arrived, they found the driver suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest and the back window of his truck shot out, authorities said.
The driver was rushed to a hospital where he was stabilized and is listed in guarded condition, according to Gonzalez.
“He is in good condition, he is stable but critical,” said Operations Manager of Coast to Coast Motors, Casey Allison.
Allison said the injured driver is Pozzie Cowart Junior, who works as a repo driver for Coast to Coast Motors. Cowart had repossessed a car and was on his way back to the dealership when someone opened fire, injuring Cowart, according to Allison.
“Pozzie is a fantastic employee he has been with us for a few years," Allison said. “(He has) many years in the repossession business. (He is) military vet, just an outstanding, outstanding person.”
Investigators are still working to learn more details about the shooting and who pulled the trigger. Allison says Cowart’s truck is equipped with two cameras and authorities are reviewing the footage for evidence.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at 713-221-6000 or call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.