Gunfire erupts as a hit-and-run turns fatal when a driver reaches for a weapon, bodycam footage reveals

Houston Police Release Bodycam Footage of Fatal Shooting Incident

Last week, Houston police made public the bodycam footage relating to a fatal incident involving an officer and a driver. The recording captured the officer’s remarks before he shot the driver, who had attempted to grab a gun from his waistband.

According to a police press release, the officer was sent to the North Freeway around 3:45 PM on May 17 after a multi-vehicle crash.

At the scene, police reported that two vehicles remained but one had left. They later found the suspect’s green SUV in an empty parking lot nearby.

The bodycam video shows an officer approaching a man seated in the driver’s seat of this vehicle. The officer informed the driver that his SUV was involved in an accident. When officers tried to detain him, the driver seemed uncooperative.

The officer asked, “Did you not want to provide your information? You know it’s state law that you do that, right?”

The driver responded with confusion, asking, “[Who] Did I hit?” The officer, standing near the driver, replied, “I’m not going to discuss that with you, right? What we need to do is handcuff you.” The intent was to move him to the back seat while addressing the incident.

Then, the situation escalated. The driver suddenly lifted his shirt and reached toward his waistband. Houston police reported that, as the officers attempted to subdue him, he pulled out the visible gun.

In the video, the officer can be heard exclaiming, “Hey, oh, oh, oh! He has a gun – look outside, look outside!” Almost immediately, shots were fired.

The footage indicates that the officer shot the suspect from behind the vehicle. Following the incident, the police stated that two officers deployed their firearms in response to the threat posed by the suspect.

The man was subsequently seen lying unresponsive in the driver’s seat. Officers attempted to render aid until paramedics arrived, but he was declared dead at the scene.

In the aftermath, one officer was shown in the bodycam footage removing the gun from the man’s hand. Remarkably, neither of the officers sustained any injuries during the encounter.

The Houston Police Department’s Special Investigation Unit, alongside the Internal Affairs Department and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, is currently investigating the incident.