It happened just before 7:30am at the Bays Inn on Decker at Airhart.
Motel guest Eric Cortez witnessed the prequel to a shooting. The suspect was confronted by a guest claiming the man was breaking into his truck.
"When he confronted one of the guys, he pulled a shotgun on the victim who owned the car," Baytown Assistant Police Chief Roger Clifford said.
Police were called. The suspect ran back to his motel room then crawled through the bedroom window, trying to escape. He was still carrying his shotgun when police moved in. Officers say he pointed the gun at them.
"The officer took defensive action and he fired several shots from the rifle and the guy he shot at is deceased," Clifford said.
Three other people, two men and a woman, were questioned about what role, if any, they might have had in the attempted thefts.
Police say drugs and burglary tools were recovered from the suspect's room.
All that happened in the brief time Cortez was gone.
"I just left. I just left. I went to drop my mom off at work and I came back and the guy was dead there," he said.
The suspect's name has not yet been released.
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