HPD officer shot in thigh after responding to disturbance in NW Houston

HOUSTON – A Houston police officer was taken to the hospital after being shot on the northwest side of town Monday evening.

• HPD employee dies in Hurricane Beryl floodwaters while on his way to work

The Houston Police Department said it happened in the 6000 block of Hollister Street around 8 p.m.

According to HPD’s Interim Police Chief Larry Satterwhite, two officer’s responded to the location after receiving a call for help at 7:58 p.m.

“In the call was that a male was assaulting an elderly couple that was also disabled, they may or may not be relatives of his, we’re still trying to determine that,” Satterwhite said.

The officers arrived at 8:07 p.m. and were flagged down by family members who told them the suspect was around the corner of a building and was assaulting people.

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The officers moved around the corner of the building where the suspect was. As they were approaching, someone yelled out that the suspect had a gun.

The officers commanded the suspect to drop the gun, at which point he fired multiple shots at the officers, striking one of them in the upper thigh before he surrendered.

Satterwhite said the officers didn’t fire any shots back at the suspect. The suspect was taken into custody.

The officer who was shot was transported to the hospital. He is an 11-year veteran of the department, according to Satterwhite. The other officer has less than a year on the force. Both officers will be on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

The suspect is a 39-year-old man who has been handled for misdemeanors in the past. He may also have a history out of Florida, according to Satterwhite.

Satterwhite said it has been a tough day for the department with both the officer being shot and another HPD employee who died in Hurricane Beryl.

“We lost one of our own today in the floodwaters and he was a great guy, just salt of the Earth, he was showing up to work to help today and lost his life doing that and I had to go talk to his family and share that terrible news with them that no one ever wants to have to share to a family and to a wife and to kids that they’ve lost their husband, their father, so yes, a very difficult day,” Satterwhite said.