Elderly woman terrified after police accidentally raid her home

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- An elderly woman says she doesn't feel safe in her home anymore after a middle-of-the-night police raid.

Around midnight of July 26, 68-year-old Emily Barriere was startled out of her sleep at Hometown at Wayside Senior Living Facility.

"Boom, boom, boom on the door. I said, 'Who is it?' 'The police,'" Barriere explained.

Having heard of scams in the past, Barriere says she pondered whether it was the real thing or imposters.

When she eventually opened the door, she says five officers stormed in with both shotguns and handguns, demanding to know the whereabouts of a man she didn't know.

"I had my nightwear on, shaking like a leaf, upset. I stepped out in the hallway, they searched the apartment. The person was not here, as I told them," Barriere continued.

Once the officers realized the mistake, they allegedly told her "Have a nice night, ma'am", and left.

"We know that you're trying to get the bad guys off the street. But what good do you do if in trying to get the bad guys off the street, you criminalize and terrorize good people?" community activist Deric Muhammed said.

Barriere is now afraid in her own home. She's dealing with physical and emotional after-effects and has even had to go to counseling.

"My pressure went up, I don't know how high. The doctor told me I could have a heart attack and it's not a guarantee. I'm still going through it. Every time I mention it, it takes me back to the roll call all over again," she said.

Houston police say unfortunately, Barriere's apartment was the last known address for the suspect they were serving a warrant on.

They have assured Eyewitness News that since then, the system has been updated to reflect that he no longer lives there.

Although mistakes do happen, Muhammed wants to make sure there are better safeguards in place for when they do.

"We believe that the Houston Police Department owes her a public apology. And, a process must be set in place so that when this kind of things happens, there's outreach, there's resolve," he said.