HOUSTON – A man wanted for aggravated assault in a domestic violence case was shot and killed this morning during a confrontation with the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force.
The shooting happened at a home in the 13100 block of Luthe Road in north Harris County.
fatally struck. No reported injuries to law enforcement officers. #HouNews
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) October 23, 2024
According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, task force members were at the residence around 6 a.m. to serve a felony warrant for the suspect who allegedly stabbed his girlfriend last week in unincorporated Harris County. The man also had a criminal history and was believed to be out on a previous felony case.
“Fourteen members of the task force joined here this morning to begin executing that warrant, and they announced their presence very clearly,” said Sheriff Gonzalez. “They lit up their sirens. They announced their presence. They were very methodical in their approach.”
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When officers arrived, three other adults, including a pregnant woman, exited the home, but the suspect remained inside. Officers continued to issue commands in both English and Spanish, giving the suspect multiple opportunities to surrender.
“They gave the suspect every opportunity to come to the door and turn himself in,” Gonzalez added. “But to no avail.”
Officers then heard a gunshot coming from the room where the suspect was hiding. Despite attempts to use non-lethal force, the suspect refused to surrender. Instead, he emerged from the room, armed with a shotgun, and fired at officers.
“The male began yelling that he basically wasn’t going to go out this way, that it wasn’t going to be this way,” said Gonzalez, paraphrasing the suspect’s statements. “He wasn’t going to go back in.”
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At that point, an HPD officer fired at the suspect, striking him. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. No law enforcement officers were hurt.
Houston PD Chief Noe Diaz, addressed the outcome of the situation, stating, “It’s great pressure; it’s not the outcome we wanted. But these men put themselves at risk to put these bad guys behind bars. Our team member acted appropriately.”
Diaz emphasized the efforts of officers in the community, adding, “Every day these young people, these police officers, are waking up, doing the hard stuff, keeping our community safe. And for their efforts, we’re very grateful. Today’s not the outcome that we wanted. The suspect had every opportunity, like the sheriff said, to come out. He was announced in Spanish and English. There were lights and sirens—every single step we could possibly take to avoid a tragic outcome.”
As per HPD policy, body camera footage from the incident will be released within 30 days. The identity of the suspect has not been disclosed, and the investigation is ongoing.
KPRC2′s Re’Chelle Turner spoke to officials about domestic violence in Houston and Harris County.
“A large number of our homicides have intimate partner violence nexus, a very dangerous situation for us to respond. Many times, if you know the dynamics of domestic violence, that abuser is losing control of the situation, and that’s one thing they’ll hold on to, and they’ll turn to violence not only against the survivors, but also against law enforcement, because we represent them losing that power,” the sheriff told Turner.
No additional information has been shared as of this writing, but an investigation is ongoing and KPRC 2 will continue to make updates to this story as more information becomes available.