An armed suspect was shot and killed by Houston police after allegedly pointing a rifle at an officer during a chase, according to authorities.
The Houston Police Department said it began looking into the shooting involving the officer at 8:50 p.m. in the 6700 Bennington Street, which is just off Homestead Road in the Trinity/Houston Gardens area.
HPD Chief Troy Finner said at about 7 p.m., officers were heading to an apartment complex where a group of men were posting on social media about meeting up.
Police officers arrived at the scene at about 9 p.m. and saw the group was armed, according to Finner.
Finner said the men ran away, initiating a chase, when one of the suspects allegedly pointed a rifle at an HPD officer.
The police officer fired several shots, killing the armed man, who investigators believe was 17 or 18 years old, according to Finner.
Finner strikes a balance between the loss of life and the seriousness of what happened.
“We know this apartment complex has had a lot of problems. It doesn’t mean that the people here are bad. We all need to work together to see what we can do to clean it up and help them,” Finner said.
Police recovered five guns from the scene, including the assault rifle.
The officer who discharged his weapon is being placed on administrative leave per department policy. The suspect’s identity is pending verification by the medical examiner’s office.
“If anybody comes into contact with police officers, do me a favor; please drop the guns, and let’s all go home safely,” Finner said.
