MISSOURI CITY, Texas – A family says they are working to process their pain after two of their close loved ones were tragically killed by a Missouri City police officer on Thursday night.
What happened
According to authorities, a Missouri City officer responding to a robbery call was traveling east in the 1600-1700 block of Cartwright Road.
Witnesses on the scene said the officer was traveling at a high rate of speed and did not have his lights or sirens on.
While headed to the robbery call at a Dollar Tree, the officer T-boned a vehicle with two occupants.
Inside were 53-year-old Angela Stewart, and her son, Mason Stewart.
They were both pronounced dead at the scene.
More than two hours into the investigation, Missouri City PD Chief Brandon Harris said they found a man had been in the backseat of the wrecked police unit and was headed to the robbery call with the officer.
That man, who is believed to be unrelated to either incident, was taken to Ben Taub Hospital and had surgery for non-life-threatening injuries.
An investigation into why the man was in the officer’s backseat or if he was in custody, is underway.
Family’s reaction
KPRC 2 spoke with those they leave behind; The husband/father and two daughters/sisters.
With tears streaming down, the family tried to talk about the details of what happened, highlighting that one of the most heartbreaking parts was that Mason was killed on his birthday.
“A cop killed him, man,” one of the sisters added. “A little boy on his birthday. And then tried to f***ing cover it up. Like, it’s not OK.”
The husband said that he was not made aware of the crash. He says the only reason he went to the scene was because he pinged his son’s Jeep which showed them being in the same spot for about an hour which was strange.
When the father arrived, he said police officers tried to keep him back and prevent him from getting through.
“When I came up to Columbia Blue, I saw the cops, and they wouldn’t let me through,” he said. “They took my ID and told me a lieutenant was going to come talk to me. But nobody ever came to talk to me.”
He said it wasn’t until he saw his son’s car at the scene that he informed police the Jeep belonged to him and that his wife and son had left home in it to run to the store.
That’s when, he says, an officer let him know that they were gone.
“They just kept me from going to the scene, and one of the officers told me that they were gone,” he said.
When KPRC 2 spoke with the family, they said they still hadn’t told their other relatives the devastating news.
One daughter, overwhelmed with emotions, said Friday that she wasn’t immediately told about Thursday night’s deadly collision either.
“I just found out this morning, and I’m doing like a whole capstone,” she said. “I don’t even know how I’m supposed to finish. My mother will never see me walk across the stage, after working so hard to get my freaking doctorate. She will never get to see me. He (My brother) will never walk across the stage.”
At this time, it is unclear if the officer will face charges or what comes next.
It is also still unclear why that officer had another person in his backseat while headed to a separate call. That man has not been named.
On Friday, Missouri City officials released the following statement:
“On behalf of the City of Missouri City and the Missouri City Police Department our hearts go out to the victims involved in this tragedy. The facts we have right now are;
On Thursday June 20, 2024 at approximately 842pm Missouri City Police Dispatch received a 911 emergency phone call from a victim who reported a robbery in progress in the 1600 block of Cartwright Rd at an ATM machine. It was reported an unknown male approached the victim, armed with a handgun demanding money.
The suspect fled in a silver Honda passenger vehicle after obtaining approximately $200. The victim followed the suspect as he was talking to 911 operators.
Our Missouri City Police Officer was responding to the incident location traveling east bound in the 17-1600 block of Cartwright Road.
Initial reports are a vehicle unrelated to the initial call of a robbery, was exiting a parking lot onto Cartwright Rd, when a collision occurred with the responding officer. The occupants in the crash vehicle were pronounced deceased by Fort Bend EMS.
The officer was transported to the medical center, and has since been released. As the investigation of the crash was being investigated by The Texas Department of Public Safety, it was discovered the responding officer involved in the crash had a male occupant in the back seat. The occupant was transported to Ben Taub Hospital, his condition is unknown.
The crash investigation will be conducted by The Texas Department of Public Safety. The Missouri City Police Department will conduct an internal investigation concerning Policy and Procedures.
Once again our hearts and condolences go out to the family lost in this tragedy.”
KPRC 2′s Deven Clarke and Moriah Ballard are searching for more information and will provide it when available on our newscasts and online.