In shootout, suspect slain, 2 officers hurt

HOUSTON — Two Houston police officers were shot as they investigated a home burglary Tuesday, authorities said. Both were taken to hospitals, with one of the officers in critical condition.

One suspect was killed in a shootout with the officers and another man was being sought, police said.

“If he’s hiding somewhere, we’re not leaving,” Police Chief Art Acevedo said as hundreds of officers combed the southwest Houston neighborhood.

Acevdeo lifted a lockdown on the southwest Houston neighborhood, which has about 1,800 homes and three schools, more than four hours later and urged residents to notify police of anything suspicious.

“We’d rather you report it and be on the safe side,” he said. “We don’t want to leave any stone unturned.”

The chief said three homes in the neighborhood were burglarized Tuesday. While police didn’t know if all three were connected, Acevedo said, the suspect killed in the shootout was involved in at least one of them.

One officer, Jose Munoz, was shot in the foot, and his condition was not considered life- threatening. The other officer, Ronny Cortez, had a bullet lodged near his spine, the mayor said.

Cortez, a 24- year veteran of the department, was at Memorial Hermann Hospital. Munoz, who has been an officer for 10 years, was at Ben Taub Hospital.

Houston’s emergency- services director, David Persse, said Cortez’s condition “is improved since he first got here.”

“He is awake and talking and is with his family,” Persse said.