Man dies by apparent suicide after shooting

A man who shot and injured a Houston Police Department officer early Saturday morning apparently died by suicide after a standoff with SWAT officers at a southeast Houston apartment complex, according to HPD.

The officer was dispatched to 12801 Roydon Drive around 2:11 a.m. where there were reports of someone shooting a gun, authorities added.

“As he arrived he could hear gunshots coming from inside the apartments. He got on the radio and asked for backup,” HPD Chief Troy Finner said. “As he was looking for where the shots were coming from the suspect fired upon him and he was struck in the legs.”

The unidentified officer has been at the agency for one year and remains in “good spirits” after being shot in both legs by an assault-type rifle, Finner added. It is unclear if the officer was shot twice or if it was one round that went through both legs.

HPD tweeted that the officer had been released from the hospital by the early afternoon and was recovering at home.

Other responding officers could not find the gunman when they arrived on scene, but by

5:40 a.m. they determined he was in an apartment. HPD was able to make contact with the man through family members, and talked to him for about three hours.

Around 8:40 a.m. officers heard shots inside the apartment, but HPD Executive Assistant Chief James Jones said officers did not shoot in response.

They were unable to communicate with him after that point. Officers went into the apartment and found the man dead on a bed, from what Jones said appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot.