A suspect is dead after shots were fired as officers attempted to serve a capital murder arrest warrant in north Harris County on Wednesday morning. The suspect was one of four people involved in a recent murder, authorities said.
According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the suspect was shot as the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force attempted to serve the warrant in the 700 block of N. Ella Creek Drive near Rankin Road.
A suspect shot as law enforcement (Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force) attempted to serve a capital murder arrest warrant. The suspect has been pronounced deceased at the scene. No reported injuries to law enforcement personnel. Incident occurred at the 700 blk of
1/2 pic.twitter.com/d61rB3ATL8
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) July 12, 2023
In an update Wednesday afternoon, officials said two Harris County sheriff’s deputies — who are part of the task force — were the ones who discharged their firearms.
Asst. Chief Tommy Diaz with HCSO said there was a brief standoff inside the home as they executed the warrant, and that’s when the shots were fired. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials believe the suspect fired first, but the investigation is ongoing and will be presented to a grand jury.
The Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force is a multi-agency group that runs warrants for criminals in the area. Diaz said there are currently 700 outstanding murder warrants in the Gulf Coast region.
Although HCSO deputies fired the shots, the Houston Police Department will conduct the primary investigation since it happened within city limits, just blocks away from unincorporated Harris County.
Investigators said there were no reported injuries to law enforcement personnel. There were other people inside the home when shots were fired, but they were not injured.
It’s unclear how the bystanders are related to the suspect, but officials did note that there were no children inside the home when the warrant was served. The suspect reportedly did not live at the residence.
Asst. Chief Patricia Cantu with HPD said the man who was killed was the last of four suspects wanted in a murder that occurred on May 18 on Selinsky Road. The other three suspects are reportedly in custody.
According to previous reports, a man was found shot to death inside a vehicle that appeared to have been involved in a crash at an apartment complex at 5901 Selinsky Road on May 18.
The victim was later identified as 35-year-old Otis Parker Jr.
In a release on June 30, HPD said Jarrell Tavon Wheeler, 21, had been arrested and charged with capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for his role in the shooting. At the time, Jamal Ray Brown, 21, Quitiana Rene Taylor, 21, and Mariah Corinthian Green, 23, were all still wanted on the same charges.
