HOUSTON — The Houston Police Department released the body camera footage from a deadly altercation with officers in northeast Houston on Jan. 6. The video shows a foot chase, a struggle for an officer’s service weapon and multiple shots fired into the man before he went limp.
Houston police said officers responded to a call of someone slashing tires and breaking car windows with a sharp object on Caddo Road just before 8 a.m.
.A woman who lived nearby said she witnessed the man vandalizing a car by breaking the glass on two different windows. She said the suspect then tried to go inside her neighbor’s house before walking away.
When police arrived at the scene, they spotted a man who matched the description of the suspect, HPD said.
Officers tried to arrest him but he took off running toward Homestead Road. After they caught up with him, HPD says he resisted arrest and struggled with the officers.
The video shows an officer identified as Officer Zhu tackling the suspect but then he flips over on top of Zhu. One of the officers is heard shouting “He’s got my gun!” while other officers are struggling with the man.
Police say the suspect fired the gun while trying to remove it from the officer’s holster. An officer, identified in the video as Officer Avila, stepped back and fired at least two shots at the suspect. The man goes limp after the second shot, still on top of Officer Zhu. They carefully move the suspect because they said his finger was still on the trigger of the officer’s gun.
No officers were injured in the incident, HPD said.
The man’s identity hasn’t been released.
The officers were put on administrative duty while the shooting is investigated, which is standard procedure.