Man accused of killing father, carjacking 2 drivers, shot and killed by Spring Branch ISD PD officer

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A suspect accused of killing his father, trying to get into an elementary school, and carjacking two people is dead after being shot by a law enforcement officer in Houston's Spring Branch area on Thursday morning, according to police.

It all started about 7:10 a.m. when Houston police officers were called to the 2500 block of Mona Lee Lane.

Chief Troy Finner of the Houston Police Department said a mother called 911 to report that her son had come home and gotten into an argument with his father. Moments later, she heard a gunshot.

The woman ran out of the house and called police. When officers arrived, they went inside and found the father dead with a gunshot wound.

"I feel for the mother. I feel for the family. It's very sad, and a lot of lives were affected this morning," Rachel Garza, who lives nearby, said.

According to police, the suspect took off to nearby Buffalo Creek Elementary School and tried to get into cars parked outside. A mother was reportedly dropping her kids off for school when he tried to take her vehicle.

Investigators believe he also tried to get into the building. The suspect couldn't enter the building because all doors were locked due to Spring Branch ISD safety protocols.

The Spring Branch ISD Police Department was notified at 7:21 a.m., and an officer at the scene tried to stop the suspect when he spotted him walking away.

SBISD Police Chief Larry Baimbridge said the suspect then took off on foot and carjacked a vehicle, leading to a brief pursuit.

During the chase, officials said the suspect sideswiped many vehicles, including an SBISD bus.

At one point, police said the suspect bailed out of the stolen car, ran to a nearby intersection, and carjacked a second vehicle.

The suspect drove away but stopped at a dead-end behind a business at 2815 Campbell Rd., SBISD police said.

The suspect bailed from the stolen car, ran toward the business, and fired a single shot toward an SBISD officer, according to Baimbridge. That's when the officer fired back, hitting the suspect several times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the suspect was about 30 years old. Officials don't believe he has a child who attends Buffalo Creek Elementary School or any other connection to the campus.

"He has a very lengthy criminal history and, in all likelihood, should have been in prison. Instead, he's out walking the streets, committing crimes, and as a result, many lives are damaged, and obviously, his father is dead," Baimbridge said.

It's unclear if the suspect was out on bond or parole. His identity was not immediately released.

ABC13 couldn't confirm whether the woman, who owns the home where the father was shot, and the mother are the same person, but the suspects' car was registered to the homeowner.

Eyewitness News spoke with her briefly over the phone, but she was upset and didn't want to comment.

Investigators said they don't know what sparked the initial argument between the suspect and his father. HPD is leading the investigation.

Multiple residents said they've seen police and ambulances at the house before. One even said they try to stay away from the home altogether.

However, per HPD, there have been no service calls to the home in the past six months.

"Knowing all the other houses on the street, I kind of figured it was that one, but I never expected something like this," Gabriele Garza, another neighbor, said.

Baimbridge added that the SBISD police officer who shot the suspect is a 12-year veteran of the department. The officer was not injured.

"Pray for everybody involved. This is tough. It's close to the holiday season. We have victims that had nothing to do with this. Just pray for their psyche right now," Finner said.