HPD Chief and Priest recall violent Thursday night

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston police officer was shot with his own gun while struggling with a robbery suspect Thursday night, Chief Art Acevedo revealed Friday.

The 29-year-old officer remains hospitalized and in ICU after surgery. Acevedo says he is stable and recalls what happened.

"He remembered everything vividly, in terms of the fight for his life with this suspect," said Acevedo. "There was a struggle. There was a fight for the officer's weapon. He lost control of his weapon and he got shot with his own weapon by the suspect."

The unnamed officer has been with HPD for five years. He was shot three times.

The suspect he was struggling with was killed by another officer. Two suspects were arrested and one got away.

RELATED: Officer shot and suspect killed in night of violence

Police believe it started with a carjacking at a Valero gas station on Scott at 9:55 p.m. Thursday and when the stolen SUV ran out of gas, the spree escalated. They then terrorized a priest.

"It was something I will never forget," said Father Desmond of Ohankwere of St. Peter The Apostle Catholic Church. "It was a near-death experience."

The priest said one suspect held a gun to his head, pulled the trigger twice but the weapon did not fire.

"A miracle," he said.

At 10:10 pm, the suspects were looking for another vehicle. They were on S. Odin and targeted a woman sitting in her truck.

"At gunpoint, they asked for my phone. They asked for my phone, my pin code to my phone and proceeded to tell me, 'If you don't give it to (us), we're going to shoot you,'" said the 30-year-old woman who asked not to be identified. "I didn't know what was going to happen. I was just glad I was alive."

They took her truck and led police on a chase that ended in a backyard in the 3900 block of Tolnay Street, where the officer was wounded and the suspect was shot and killed by another officer.

The crime spree lasted 30 minutes, and officers flooded the southeast Houston neighborhoods.

Police are still looking for the fourth suspect. The names of the two in custody have not been released, but authorities say they face a number of felony charges.