The incident happened at about 4:20pm at a shopping center in the 7000 block of Bissonnet, near Fondren, after two officers responded to an assault call possibly involving weapons, police say.
The officers arrived at the scene and saw five males in the area. Two of them took off, and the other three began walking away. The officers followed them and ordered them both in English and Spanish to raise both of their hands.
One of the men refused to follow orders and then quickly turned around for some reason. That's when one of the officers opened fire and shot the suspect. He died at the scene.
No weapons were found on any of the males, but they were detained for questioning.
The officer, who's been identified as J. McGowan, said she was fearing for her safety when she fired the gun. She's been with HPD for two years.
Family members identified the victim as Rufino Lara.
