Harris Co. deputies shoot suspect, arrest 3 others, search for 5th after chase, police say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Two Harris County sheriff's deputies opened fire and killed an armed suspect at the end of a chase in northeast Houston on Tuesday, authorities said.

At 2:33 p.m., Sheriff Ed Gonzalez posted on X, formerly Twitter, about a traffic stop that led to a vehicle chase involving five suspects. The sheriff said the suspect driver led deputies to the 9700 block of Bertwood Street in Houston's East Little York/Homestead area, where the suspects took off on foot after driving into a ditch.

According to Gonzalez, one of the suspects was armed, leading two deputies to open fire, hitting him. The three suspects were taken into custody without further incident. The sheriff said deputies are searching for a fifth suspect, prompting a temporary lockdown at nearby Shadydale Elementary School.

The school later lifted the lockdown, with deputies adding that there was no threat against the campus. Students were released as scheduled at 4 p.m.

The wounded suspect was rushed to the hospital with critical injuries, Gonzalez said, adding that no deputies were hurt. In a later update, authorities said the suspect died.

Gonzalez initially reported that the chase began at FM-1960 and Interstate 45. However, Assistant Chief Alvaro Guzman of the Houston Police Department said deputies started the chase in the 4000 block of Orange Grove Drive, where they responded to a suspicious person involved in an altercation between a black Chevrolet Tahoe and a gray Chevy Malibu.

Guzman confirmed the Malibu's attempted traffic stop and chase.

Houston police are taking the lead in the Bertwood shooting investigation due to it unfolding in their jurisdiction, Gonzalez added.

An earlier edition of this story mentioned that HCSO responded to a separate call involving a shooting of a motorist near FM-1960 and I-45 that the sheriff tweeted about minutes before posting the Bertwood information. Reporters asked Guzman whether the two scenes were connected, which the assistant chief said that he hadn't heard anything about the other investigation.

"At this time, we don't believe (the two scenes are connected), but if it is, we will let you know," Guzman said.

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