HOUSTON – The armed suspect who was shot by a Houston police officer in the Kingwood area following a domestic violence incident this weekend has since been charged.
Dionte Johnny Ricco Vaughn, 30, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful possession of a weapon.
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On Saturday, Houston police responded to reports of a domestic disturbance at an apartment complex located in the 150 block of Northpark Plaza around 3:13 a.m.
When officers arrived, they heard a woman screaming for help and attempted to make entry into the apartment.
An officer who was standing outside the apartment spotted Vaughn, who was armed with a gun, and gave him several verbal commands to drop his weapon. The officer said Vaughn ignored her commands and jumped down from the third-floor balcony to the first floor.
The officer attempted to arrest Vaughn and got into a struggle with him before discharging her weapon. Vaughn was shot in the lower area of his body, causing him to drop his weapon and take off on foot.
Investigators said Vaughn eventually returned to the scene and was transported to the hospital with a gunshot wound to his buttocks.
The woman who was screaming for help appeared to have suffered physical injuries caused by Vaughn but is expected to be okay.
The 13-year veteran HPD officer who fired the shot was not injured.
As is customary in HPD officer-involved shooting incidents in the Houston city limits, this case is being investigated by the HPD Special Investigations Unit and the Internal Affairs Division. Since it occurred in the Montgomery County limits, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident.
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