Houston police officers shot: 1 officer killed, 1 injured while executing warrant in NE Harris Co.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston police officer was killed in a shooting at an apartment complex in northeast Harris County Monday morning while executing a warrant.

The shooting happened at 7:28 a.m. in the 5300 block of Aeropark at the Timber Ridge Apartments, not far from Bush Intercontinental Airport.

According to HPD, two officers were shot while they were attempting to execute a narcotics arrest warrant at the complex.

Senior Officer William "Bill" Jeffrey was shot multiple times, including a shot in the chest, and later died from his injuries, according to HPD Chief Troy Finner. He was approaching 31 years of service with the department.

Sgt. Michael Vance was shot multiple times in the leg, HPD said. He is stable and underwent surgery at Memorial Hermann Hospital. Sgt. Vance has been with the department for 20 years, according to Finner.

SEE MORE: Officer Jeffrey and the recent Houston-area law enforcement officers who've died

"He's a great man, and a great family man," Finner said of Jeffrey. "Like his wife said, he's one of our very best, and I'm going to celebrate that."

Jeffrey's wife Suzanne recently retired, but was also a police officer, according to Finner. The couple had one child and were in the process of building their dream home.

At a press conference Monday morning, Finner said the two officers knocked on the door of the apartment when they were met by a woman. They had a conversation with her and eventually asked about the location of the suspect, who they say was wanted on narcotics charges.

That's when Finner said the suspect came out and immediately started firing at the officers.

HPD said not only was the suspect's girlfriend in the apartment at the time, but also several small children.

HPD officers returned fire, shooting and killing the suspect at the scene, Finner said. No one else in the apartment was injured.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, whose agency is leading the investigation, identified the suspect as 30-year-old Deon Ledet, who, according to the sheriff's tweets, had warrants for "Possession with Intent to Deliver/Manufacture Penalty Group 4-200g and Possession of Controlled Substance PG 1 4-200g."

Ledet had a bond forfeiture on Jan. 8, 2021.

According to our partners at the Houston Chronicle, the two officers involved are with the department's Major Offenders Division.

The Major Offenders Division routinely deals with dangerous criminals, including accused murderers.

"Let's lift up his wife Suzanne, let's lift up their one child, let's lift up the entire family of Senior Police Officer William 'Bill' Jeffrey," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. "[This is] another reminder that police work is inherently dangerous."

Dozens of officers formed a procession, following behind as Jeffrey's body was transported from Memorial Hermann Hospital to the medical examiner's office.

HPD and the District Attorney's Office will conduct an internal investigation, as is standard with all officer-involved shootings.