POSTED: Tuesday, September 14, 2010
UPDATED: 5:45 pm CDT September 14, 2010

HOUSTON -- An off-duty Harris County sheriff's deputy was shot during a bank robbery and shootout in northwest Harris County.

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Sheriff's officials said the deputy was working an extra job as a security guard at the Preferred Bank in the 16500 block of Stuebner Airline Drive near Cypresswood when three masked men walked in and robbed it at 1:40 p.m. Tuesday.

The security guard confronted the robbers and gunfire was exchanged, investigators said.

"They were armed. They were demanding money. Our deputy then grabbed his gun and exchanged gunfire with the suspects and that's when our deputy was hurt," said Christina Garza with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

The guard was shot in the hand. He was taken to Ben Taub Hospital for treatment and is expected to recover.

The robbers also took an air conditioning repairman hostage while they tried to make their getaway, but he was released unharmed, according to deputies.

The robbers escaped in a silver Dodge Neon, deputies said.

One of the robbers showed up at LBJ Hospital a little while later with gunshot wounds to his leg, investigators said. He was taken into custody.

Four Klein School District schools -- Klein High School, Kleb Intermediate, Mittelstadt Elementary and the Annex -- were placed on lockdown for a short time while police searched for the suspect.

The lockdown was lifted about 15 minutes later.

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