Deputy accidentally shoots man after slip
Harris County deputies were involved in a bizarre sequence of events Monday night after a hit-andrun suspect was accidently shot in the face and transported to a hospital. There, a second man stole a cruiser parked at the hospital by officers waiting to transport the wounded suspect to jail, officials confirmed.
The events began when an off-duty deputy working an extra security job called in a wreck, in which the driver responsible allegedly failed to stop and give information, said Harris County Sheriff ’s Office spokesman Jason Spencer.
Spencer said a second deputy in a marked HCSO vehicle located the suspect and pursued him in a brief chase, which ended at a residence in the 500 block of Connorvale in Aldine.
Before the suspect could even show his license and registration, the deputy said he accidentally shot him through the window. He had approached the man’s car with his gun drawn, given it was directly after a pursuit, Spencer said.
The deputy said he fired his gun because he tripped in a ditch.
“When the deputy approached the vehicle with his weapon in hand,” Sgt. Cedrick Collier said at the scene, “the deputy slipped in some water and mud in the driveway, and his weapon discharged, grazing the suspect across the forehead.”
The suspect was transported to Ben Taub Hospital, where HCSO later said he was in stable condition.
Spencer said deputies had parked their vehicles outside the hospital as they waited for the suspect to be discharged so he could be taken to jail. But when one of the deputies left his cruiser unattended, a man who appears to be unconnected to the shooting incident saw an opportunity.
So the suspect hopped inside and later told deputies he just wanted to take the cruiser “for a joy ride.”
The deputy had left his keys in the ignition, Spencer said. It was unknown how far the suspect had gotten before deputies were able to find the car and take him into custody.
Later Tuesday, the man was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and evading arrest. The man shot in the face by the deputy was charged with failure to stop and give information and evading arrest.
As for the deputy who fired the shot, Spencer said “the investigation will determine whether the officer’s actions were appropriate and justified.”