On Sunday night, a Harris County Sheriff's Office deputy pulled the trigger after officials say the man left the officer with little choice, by refusing to put down a weapon.
Neighbors describe the parents of 21-year-old Troy Robertson, who was fatally shot by a deputy, as "very nice people."
The parents called 911 at around 10:35pm, hoping to prevent anyone from being hurt. Investigators say Robertson was threatening his parents and was armed with a rifle.
Deputies located Robertson in the family's backyard in the 15100 block of Easton Park near Highway 6.
"He was ordered to drop the rifle several times. He was hiding, concealing himself behind an air conditioning unit and had came back up several times, pointing his weapon at the deputy. The deputy fired, striking the male," said Deputy Thomas Gilliland with the Harris Co. Sheriff's Office.
Robertson was rushed to North Cypress Hospital, but did not survive. Neighbors say they were aware that he was having some psychological problems.
"I'd heard that Troy had had some trouble recently, and might have been a little bit depressed," said neighbor Wade Shaw. "We kind of knew that he was a little bit of a troubled kid."
Under the circumstances neighbors felt sympathy for both the family and the deputy, who investigators believe had no other choice but to shoot.
"I think the deputy has to protect the parents. Yeah, if he was threatening them, absolutely he was justified," said neighbor Sharon Blankenship.
They also wished something could have been done to help the troubled young man.
"A lot of times it's just really hard to identify those children who need help," Blankenship said.
Deputies say they've been called to the home before to settle disputes between the son and his family.
The victim's mother did not want to talk on camera, but speaking through the front door, she said her son had "basically killed himself."
The deputy is a 10-year veteran of the Harris Co. Sheriff's Office.
The district attorney will investigate this shooting and it will be presented to the grand jury. There will also be an internal investigation within the sheriff's office.
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