HPD officer shot during traffic stop outside southeast Houston gas station, chief says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston police officer was shot at a gas station in southeast Houston Wednesday morning while conducting a traffic stop, police said.

According to police, the shooting happened at about 11:20 a.m. at 14800 Gulf Freeway near Astoria.

Houston police Chief Troy Finner said the officers were conducting a traffic stop on a suspect who had an active warrant out for his arrest. Once the officers stopped the suspect, they asked him to get out of the car. A few words were exchanged and as the suspect got out of the car he began firing at the officers.

At that point, the officers fired back at the suspect and shot him multiple times. The suspect was taken to the hospital in critical condition, Finner said.

One of the officers suffered an injury in the pelvis and a minor injury to the chest. Finner credits the officer's ballistic vest and flashlight for saving his life.

The second officer was not injured in the shooting.

The name of the suspect has not been released but Finner described the suspect as a white man between 23 to 25 years of age.

SkyEye video showed a heavy police presence at the Exxon gas station at the intersection, and bullet holes in the windshield of a black pickup truck parked at a pump.

At the scene, ABC13 reporter Erica Simon saw a handgun and shell casings on the ground outside the truck.

Two lanes of the feeder road were blocked as police investigated the shooting.

13 Investigates found that 21 law enforcement officers were killed in shootings in 2022 in the U.S.

Previous data found showed that by this date in 2021, 20 officers had been killed.

When it came to officers injured, data shows 133 officers were injured in shootings. By this date in 2021, about 100 officers were injured.

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