Suspect killed in an officer-involved shootout near Houston’s Fifth Ward

A drive-by shooting by a Houston police officer resulted in the death of a suspect in the city’s Fifth Ward on Wednesday afternoon, according to reports from the Houston Police Department. In an attempt for wellness check-up, a crisis intervention team was summoned to a residence located at 400 block of Rouse Street around 1:30 p.m.

The Houston Police Department reported that a man had called the police and alerted them that his brother was acting erratically and threatening the neighbours outside the relative’s house, with strong signs of intoxication from narcotics. Upon arrival, the suspect threatened to attack the officers at the door and refused to take heed of their instructions.

The officers followed the suspect into the residence, attempting to control the suspect’s erratic behaviour by using tasers. The tasers proved ineffective on the suspect, who threatened to retrieve a weapon and shoot the officers. As the suspect headed to the kitchen, the officers were forced to act in protection of their lives and safety, one of them discharging a weapon towards the suspect causing his death.

After the incidence, officers tried to resuscitate the suspect but after showing no sign of life, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police secured the area, and a nearby school was locked down in the intervening time.

The deceased suspect’s name is yet to be disclosed by the hall, and it is unclear whether mental health issues played any role in the events. The Houston Police Department, expectedly, is investigating the episode independently.

Houston’s residents and the entire state of Texas have been on edge following increasing incidents of altercations between law enforcement officials and residents of different towns and cities. With the high tension and stakes in the currently subdivided and polarized US, the incidence in Houston is likely to add more fuel to the concerned parties’ fire.

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