Officers: Harris deputy shoots and kills man

By ANITA HASSAN
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Dec. 6, 2010, 5:18AM

A Harris County deputy shot and killed a man who allegedly threatened a family member before coming toward the officer while wielding what appeared to be a piece of an iron fence Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

The shooting occurred around 2:30 p.m. at a home in the 1400 block of Castle Glen, where a woman who lived at the residence called 911 and reported that a male family member inside her home had become confrontational and threatening, said Harris County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Thomas Gilliland. He added that deputies had responded to a similar call at the residence the day before.

As the deputy entered the home, he was met by the unidentified man, who was holding what appeared to be a piece from a wrought iron fence, Gilliland said.

The man then allegedly ignored the deputy’s many commands to drop the weapon and instead came toward him, Gilliland said.

In fear for his life, the deputy fired his gun once, shooting the man in the upper-body area, Gilliland said.

Paramedics took the man to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he later died.

As is customary in all officer-involved shootings, the case is being investigated by the Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Inspector General.

No further information was immediately available.

 

anita.hassan@chron.com

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7326153.html