Officer dragged by traffic stop suspect before opening fire on him, Fulshear police say
FULSHEAR, Texas (KTRK) -- A traffic stop that began with a driver running a stop sign near a school in Fulshear escalated to the driver being shot and killed by police.
The chaotic moments played out Thursday morning in the 9300 block of Charger Way near FM 1093.
According to Capt. Mike McCoy of the Fulshear Police Department, the officer, who has been with the department for two years, initiated a traffic stop and the driver complied.
Things started escalating when the officer found the 53-year-old driver had a felony warrant out of Virginia for dangerous drugs, McCoy said. The driver, police said, began getting agitated and nervous and explained that he could not take time off work to be jailed.
The officer informed the man that he was going to put him in handcuffs, but the man said he was feeling sick and bent over.
As the officer prepared to call for an ambulance, the man suddenly got up and shoved the officer in the chest, causing him to fall back.
The man then ran back to his vehicle and the officer followed and held on. McCoy said he was dragged for an unknown distance.
Police said the officer feared for his life, which led him to open fire on the suspect. The officer let go of the car and the suspect kept driving for about 800 yards into the field before hitting a tree. The officer tried to give aid to the suspect who died at the scene.
WATCH: Fulshear police news conference after deadly shooting involving officer
The officer was placed on administrative leave and sent home after the shooting. He had scrapes to the leg, but no other serious injuries.
The Texas Rangers took over as lead investigator in the incident with Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office assisting.
McCoy added the officer's body camera was activated at the time. Cameras from the officer's dashboard and a nearby school also captured the ordeal. The footage has yet to be reviewed, McCoy said.
Neither the officer nor the suspect was identified during an afternoon news conference.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, police urged the public to avoid the area.
In all, Fulshear has only had two officer-involved shootings, according to McCoy.
Christy Sheats was shot and killed by a Fulshear police officer in 2016 after authorities said she killed her two daughters, Taylor, 22, and Madison, 17.
Fulshear, which has been named one of the safest cities in the country, has only had two homicides in the last decade. In 2012, McCoy said they had a homicide and in 2020 there was a murder-suicide.
