Houston police shoot and kill suspect in SE Houston prostitution sting
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Police say a human trafficking investigation ended with officers shooting and killing a man.
The shooting happened around 7 p.m. Wednesday near the Gulf Freeway and Monroe.
Right before police shot and killed the man, he crashed his car into one of the columns under the freeway at the intersection.
Investigators say the officers tried to pull the man over because they believed he was trying to pick up a prostitute. Undercover officers were conducting a prostitution sting.
Video from the scene shows a gun on the street, believed to be the suspect's gun.
An HPD assistant chief says when officers approached the man's car, they yelled at him several times to get out and show his hands, but the man refused.
Police say you can see this on body camera video, which hasn't been released yet.
Investigators say two officers fired at the man as he stayed in his car. The man died at the hospital.
ABC13 spoke to a witness at the scene.
"When he tried to go up on the freeway, he hit the wall. And then the police, they jumped out of their car and was telling him to get out of the car," the witness recalled. "One was on the passenger side and two was on the driver side. I think they thought he had a gun."
Police say they did find a gun on the floor in the suspect's car. However, investigators do not believe the suspect ever fired his gun.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner and Mayor Sylvester Turner announced a new policy earlier this year that requires body-worn camera footage to be released within 30 days of critical incidents, including officer-involved shootings.
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