Houston police said it started as a call about a man and woman trespassing and threatening a property manager with a weapon on Capitol Street at Bagby Street, near the Bayou Music Center, at about 9:45 p.m. Monday.
A security guard allegedly asked a woman to leave the area, but she refused, leading to a disturbance.
When officers arrived at the scene, they were led to the woman, who they tried to detain.
As officers tried to detain the woman, they said she attempted to break free and knocked both herself and the officer to the ground.
According to police, the man had his hands hidden and refused to follow verbal commands to show them. The officers believed he was armed, according to the department.
"The male suspect continued to disobey the officers' commands, quickly jumped into a shooting stance, bringing both hands together and pointing them directly at the officers," a release from the department read.
The officer who pulled the trigger has been with the department for a year and a half, according to HPD. He will be placed on administrative duties pending an investigation by the department's internal affairs division. The Harris County District Attorney's Office will also investigate.
"An officer discharged his weapon more than once, striking the suspect. Whenever the suspect went down, the officers immediately rendered aid to the Hispanic male for the gunshot wound and got him up onto the main roadway for the ambulance to come pick him up. He was transported to a local hospital," Asst. Chief Adrian Rodriguez said.
The man was critically injured and taken to the hospital. In a later update, HPD said he was stable. The woman police were trying to detain was also taken to the hospital for injuries sustained as they were trying to detain her. She has since been released.
It's unclear if the man was actually armed. HPD said investigators were still looking for a weapon.
No charges have been filed in the case.