Jan. 28 (Gephardt Daily) — Five Houston police officers sustained injuries after an exchange of gunfire with suspects on Monday evening, the Houston Police chief said at a news conference.
Two officers are in critical-but-stable condition, and were undergoing surgery as of 7:40 p.m. Central time, Police Chief Art Acevedo said.
Both critically injured men, who are 40 and 54 years old, were shot in the neck area. The 54-year-old was the case officer and has been shot several times in his career, the chief said.
Two other officers, both 50, were stable after being shot, reportedly one in the arm and one in the leg. Those officers were stable and were being held for observation.
Another officer, age 33, suffered a knee injury during action on the scene, but was not shot, Acevedo said.
Acevedo said that 12 narcotics officers and six patrol officers responded to the scene of a known drug house to serve a warrant. When they were ready to enter, they blared sirens and put police lights on, then rammed the door to enter, Acevedo said.
Officials believe that both people inside the residence fired on police, but ballistic study will be needed to determine who fired from which gun, Acevedo said. Police returned fire, hitting and killing one suspect immediately. Robots were sent in to determine who remained in the house, and a second person was also found dead in the residence.
The injured officers were taken by ground ambulance and medical helicopter to area hospitals.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released the following statement:
“This evening’s horrific attack on police officers is a solemn reminder of the service and sacrifice our brave men and women in law enforcement make every day to keep us safe,” he said, going on to pledge whatever resources were needed. See the full statement below:
