Neighbors prayed over officer shot 5 times while confronting robbers
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Casey Folk says she was sitting on her stairs at Rock Creek Apartments in Spring and heard an argument late last night. Next she heard the screeching of tires and gunshots. She ran to find the victim bleeding after being shot several times. "I kept saying, 'You can't leave me, you can't leave me.' He said, 'I'm OK, I'm OK.' It was a horrifying situation. I remember him falling in my lap and me talking to him and telling him he's a gift from God," said Folk.
Investigators say the victim, who is also a resident and Harris County Detention Officer, says he witnessed a group of men breaking into cars in the parking lot and confronted them. They say he grabbed his personal gun but had no time to defend himself before being shot five times. "Everyone was standing here praying. God was here with that man. I'm getting 'Godbumps' now. It was amazing how everyone stopped and pulled together and started praying especially when they found out he worked for the Harris County Sheriff's Department," said Folk.
Erica Folk says it's not the first crime incident in the area. "They are coming in and just firing like that, who? I don't understand who would just open fire on someone in plain clothes like that just trying to help."
The driver of the getaway truck struck the security gate while trying to escape. Residents say the license plate was stuck to the gate, leaving a clue for investigators. Those who call the complex home say they are thinking of the neighbor who was just trying to protect them.
"I would like to see him. If he gets to see this that I'm praying for you, I really am," said Casey Folk. Erica Folk added, "God is going to take care of the ones who did it. They are going to get caught no matter what."
The getaway truck was found about 20 miles away after being set on fire. The four suspects have not been found.
The officer's name has not been released. The sheriff's office says he is out of surgery and in ICU.
