Here are things to know for Friday, July 16:
1. 1 officer killed, 3 wounded in standoff with Texas gunman
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One officer was killed and three others were wounded Thursday after a police standoff in a small West Texas city erupted in gunfire.
The incident involved a man reported as possibly armed shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday on a residential street in Levelland, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Lubbock. The confrontation escalated quickly and gunfire erupted as the suspect barricaded himself inside a house and a standoff ensued.
Three of the wounded officers were taken to a Lubbock hospital and one officer went to a Levelland hospital, which placed itself on lockdown.
One of the officers taken to Lubbock, Sgt. Josh Bartlett, leader of the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office tactical unit, died at the Lubbock hospital, according to a statement from the Justices of the Peace and Constables Association of Texas.
2. Margaritaville Resort near Lake Conroe closed after industrial incident left 1 worker dead, another injured
One worker was killed and another was injured while doing electrical work at the Margaritaville Lake Resort, Conroe Fire Department said on Thursday.
Conroe and Montgomery County Fire Departments responded to the incident around 3 p.m. at the resort, located at 600 Margaritaville Park Way on Lake Conroe.
Conroe police said the second worker was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Officials said a third worker who was standing next to the men during the incident was not injured.
The resort was left without power and was closed as of Thursday evening, police said. Officers said it could take days for crews to determine if the area is safe for guests.
3. Bodycam video shows arrest of 19-year-old who died while in police custody
The Houston Police Department released surveillance video of the arrest of a 19-year-old man who died while in police custody in June.
On June 16, Houston police conducted a traffic stop at 6400 Hillcroft Avenue at about 8:35 p.m.
Police said 19-year-old Jeremiah Sonnier, who was later identified by members of his family, was uncooperative during the traffic stop and resisted arrest.
Surveillance video released Thursday shows Sonnier leading an HPD officer on a short foot chase before getting into a struggle with the officer.
4. Texas House Speaker offers Democrats free plane ride home to return to state
The push to bring fugitive Texas Democrats back to Austin could be reaching new heights.
House Speaker Dade Phelan said Thursday that he will charter a plane Saturday from Washington, D.C., to Austin to retrieve the Democrats who fled to the nation’s capital to avoid voting on an elections bill that they say would restrict voting rights.
“I am demanding all of our colleagues in D.C. to contact my staff immediately in order to secure their seat on the plane and return to Austin in order to do the state’s business,” Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, said in a statement. “The State of Texas is waiting.”
The decamped Democrats, however, said they won’t be riding.
5. Houston city council approves $15M affordable housing complex in Greenspoint
Houston’s city council announced Thursday that a $15 million loan to help fund a development project that aims to build an affordable housing complex in the Greenspoint area has been approved.
The Summit at Renaissance Park, which is expected to cost $77 million, is set to be built on part of the site that currently houses the Greenspoint Mall. The development project will be placed on the southeast side of the lost, which previously housed a Sears Auto Center.
The money used to fund the loan came from a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In Greenspoint, which flooded significantly on the Tax Day Flood of 2016, city officials hope the project will lead to revitalization among other flash flooding incidents.
“It’s a large need when you think of the site,” said Ray Miller, assistant director of the Multi-Family and Public Facilities for the city of Houston Housing and Community Development Department.