Houston police posted about the shooting Friday a little before 2 p.m.
HOUSTON — A Houston police officer fired his weapon at the same moment a man shot himself in the head during a confrontation Friday afternoon under the Hardy Toll Road, according to police officials.
It started when officers responded to a family disturbance call a little before 1 p.m. involving a suspect who had stolen a vehicle and a pistol from a home, Assistant Chief Luis Menendez-Sierra with the Houston Police Department said.
Family members found the man on Crosstimbers and got the stolen vehicle back but not the pistol before officers arrived. Police then found the suspect near Jensen, close to East Crosstimbers, underneath the Hardy Toll Road.
When officers approached in their vehicles, the man immediately pulled out a pistol and pointed it at his head, Menendez-Sierra said.
“Officers pleaded with him, asked him several times to please put the pistol down, to please not hurt himself,” he said. “They started communicating and trying to get him to put down the pistol.”
As officers pointed their weapons at the suspect, he shot himself in the head at the same moment one officer fired a single round, the assistant chief said.
“Sadly, the suspect had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head as officers were pointing their pistols at the suspect. At the same time, one of our officers discharged one round from his pistol,” he said.
The officer involved is a 2.5-year veteran of the department. Menendez-Sierra indicated the officer’s shot may have been an instance of sympathetic fire, a reflexive reaction that can occur when someone fires a weapon while another person is shooting.
The man’s identity and age were not shared. Police said the suspect had threatened to harm himself prior to the incident, though details were limited.
This is a breaking story. We are gathering details now and will post updates here as we get them.
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