Here are things to know for Thursday, Nov. 4:
1. 20-year-old man fatally shot during break-in at home in northeast Harris County, deputies say
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An investigation is underway after a 20-year-old man was fatally shot during a break-in at a home in northeast Harris County Wednesday night, deputies said.
Deputies said it happened around 11:25 p.m. at a home located in the 11900 block of Kingslake Forest.
According to Sgt. Ben Beall with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Division, the victim was at the residence and called his brother, who had went to the hospital with his wife around 8:30 p.m. Beall said he told his brother that someone was trying to break into the home and his brother told him to call 911. Deputies said the victim tried calling his brother twice before the shooting.
2. Fort Bend County religious leader sentenced to 35 years in prison for sexually abusing 3 children, DA says
A 61-year-old man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually abusing three children, the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Mohammed Omar Ali, a Quran teacher in the close-knit Somali community, was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact.
Ali was found guilty of all three charges on Oct. 29.
After hearing testimony from a fourth child victim, Judge Tameika Carter sentenced Ali to 35 years for the offense of aggravated sexual assault and ten years for each charge of indecency with a child by sexual contact. The sentences will run concurrently.
3. Possible human remains found at construction site in Tomball
Possible human remains were found at a construction site in Tomball on Wednesday, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said deputies responded to the call at 21225 FM 2920, which was formerly known as the “Boys and Girls County,” around 2:30 p.m.
According to Harris County Deputy Thomas Gilliland, said the possible remains were found two to three miles off FM 2920 in a rural area. He said it looks like the remains were there for a long period of time.
The remains were taken to the Medical Examiners Office.
4. Trial delayed for Texas officer who shot Black woman in home
The trial is delayed for a former Fort Worth police officer who was charged with murder after shooting a Black woman through a back window of her home while responding to a call about an open front door in 2019.
Aaron Dean’s trial had been set to begin Nov. 16, more than two years after he shot 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson during a late-night wellness check at her mother’s house. But Tarrant County court officials now say that date will only be a scheduling hearing and that Dean’s case will not go to trial before Nov. 29, although it could be set for a later date.
His case was among many that were delayed when the coronavirus pandemic caused courts across the country to postpone jury trials.
5. Harris County reduces COVID-19 threat level from red to orange
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo lowered the county’s COVID-19 Threat Level Indicator from Level 1: Red, the system’s highest threat level, to Level 2: Orange, the system’s second-highest threat level, due to a decrease in COVID-19 cases.
Hidalgo cited a decrease in cases, hospitalizations and COVID-19 positivity rates as the reasons for the lowered threat level.
“Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen an encouraging drop in the number of new COVID-19 cases and our hospital population,” said Hidalgo. “This didn’t happen by coincidence - it happened because of our community’s hard work to step up and increase our vaccination rates. That said, we’re not out of the woods. The decreases in our trends are slowing down while other communities are starting to see spikes, and as we learn to coexist with this virus over the long term, we can’t grow complacent. As the holidays begin to approach, we must stay vigilant to avoid another spike. The only way to do that is to get vaccinated.”