Suspect shot by Houston police after leading officers on chase in stolen SUV, HPD says
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Family members of a Houston man shot by police overnight are demanding answers to what they say is an unjustified shooting. However, police said the man pointed a gun at officers, and they recovered a weapon at the scene.
The shooting happened on Thursday at the Tierwester Village apartments at the corner of Tierwester and Bacon.
Family members identified the man involved as Tony Underwood.
"He always (comes) over here. He's from the neighborhood," Underwood's cousin, ABC Hornsby, said.
Horsnby says Underwood had an argument with his girlfriend on Monday morning and has been driving her SUV ever since. The girlfriend told ABC13 over the phone that Underwood took her SUV, and she reported it as stolen.
Wednesday night, police spotted the vehicle near the apartment where the couple lived, and tried to pull it over.
"It was a Buick SUV at Reed at 288. A short chase ensued and ended when the suspect crashed here at Bacon and Tierwester," HPD Asst. Chief Rodriguez said. "At one point, the suspect brandished a weapon. The suspect did not comply with officers' commands."
But Hornsby says all she saw was a water bottle in her cousin's hand.
"They shot him in the back for no reason. He surrendered. He had his hands up. They weren't right," she said.
Underwood's brother says, for now, he just wants to know his brother's condition, something he's been unable to confirm.
"Nobody's giving me nothing. I'd done called all around police," Tom Underwood said. "I called five or six times. The only thing they'll tell us is that he's still alive."
Houston police did not specify what type of gun officers recovered at the scene. ABC13 asked HPD about allegations that Underwood was shot in the back, but HPD could not comment, citing an ongoing criminal investigation.
Per standard HPD policy, bodyworn camera footage of the shooting should be released within 30 days.
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