HOUSTON – A man was shot and later died after pointing a gun at Houston police officers, the department said.
The suspect, identified by family members as a veteran, had initially called a veterans' crisis hotline for assistance, the family said. The man told the crisis hotline that he had cut himself and was armed with a gun. Houston police confirmed the department received the routed 911 call from a U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs Crisis hotline.
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The man has been identified as 30-year-old Christopher Carroll.
After receiving the 911 call, investigators responded to the man's home on Eagle Creek Drive around 12:45 a.m. Saturday.
When they arrived, they located a family member attempting to calm Carroll down, said Matt Slinkard, an assistant executive chief with the special operations command with the Houston Police Department. Family members of Carroll told police he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was currently experiencing a crisis.
Investigators said Carroll was found hiding in some bushes in the backyard of the home, naked and armed with a handgun. Police said officers demanded that he drop his weapon and surrender but he refused. Police said Carroll reportedly pointed the gun in the direction of officers, resulting in one officer firing his weapon, striking Carroll.
He was transported to Lyndon Baines Johnson General Hospital where he was pronounced dead, Slinkard said.
The officer involved, identified as Officer S. Dalton from the Kingwood division, will be placed on administrative duties, police said. Dalton has been with the department for 25 years.
"Tragic, tragic night because any loss of life to us at the Houston Police Department is tragic," Slinkard said.
Carroll had served in the military for four or five years and suffered from PTSD, his father-in-law told KPRC.
Carroll leaves behind a 16-month-old child.
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