The Bellaire officer has been identified as Cpl. Jimmie Norman.
According to investigators, it started as Norman was trying to pull over the driver of a black vehicle. That driver fled, hitting a white pickup truck. Both Norman and the driver of the white truck started to chase after the suspect.
That's when the suspect reportedly pulled into the parking lot of a Maaco at Bellaire at Chetwood. Witnesses say Norman got out of his vehicle, approached the suspect's vehicle and ordered him to get out.
That's when the suspect reportedly reached for a weapon and began shooting at the officer. He then is said to have turned and fired towards the bystanders. It happened so quickly that Norman never had a chance to pull his weapon and defend himself.
"We were outside taking out a customer's car," said witness Milton Navarette. "He was struggling with him and he was telling him to get out and when he went to reach, all you saw was an arm and a gun, and I'm like, 'Are you serious. You're going to take out a gun on a cop?' And he shot the guy."
A bystander outside the business was fatally shot in the gunfire. He has been identified as Terry Taylor. He reportedly owned and operated the Bellaire Maaco business for 26 years.
Norman was hit and taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where police say he died shortly after arriving. We were told his family was at the hospital.
The suspect was also hit, apparently by another officer. He got out and ran down the street to another business, but was found hiding between vehicles. That suspect was taken to Southwest Memorial Hermann Hospital hospital in critical condition, but officials say he is expected to survive.
Norman worked at the Bellaire Police Department for more than 20 years and he is married with children.
As for the suspect, he faces several charges, including evading in vehicle and capital murder of a police officer.
ABC13 reporters Demond Fernandez, Pooja Lodhia and Jeff Ehling are covering this developing story. We are gathering more information at the crime scene and at the hospital, and we will update you on Eyewitness News and abc13.com as additional details become available.
