HPD officer is found dead of an apparent suicide in a car at George Bush Park.

16-year veteran apparently shot himself in car at west side park

A Houston police officer found dead in a car at George Bush Park in west Houston worked at the same substation as an officer killed Monday when he was struck by a speeding chase suspect.

The veteran HPD officer was spotted by a passerby shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday in the 16800 block of Westheimer. He was dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police did not identify him at the scene because some of his family members had not been notified. He was 38 with about 16 years on the force, HPD officials said.

The officer was assigned to the burglary and theft unit at HPD’s Westside Command Division along Dairy Ashford near Richmond.

Also assigned there was HPD Officer Richard Martin, 47. Martin was struck and killed about 3 a.m. Monday while laying a set of strip spikes along the 900 block of Kirkwood in the Memorial area.

“These two officers reported for duty at the same station every day,” said HPD spokesman John Cannon.

He said HPD personnel were “saddened and stunned” after learning another of their fellow officers was dead. He was described as a “pretty happy, go-lucky guy,” officials said.

“It’s the second such tragic incident to have happened in the last 72 hours,” Cannon said.

On Wednesday, a passing motorist spotted a Ford sedan parked next to an isolated transmission tower along Westheimer. The suspicious motorist stopped to investigate because the car seemed out of place, police said.

The bystander looked inside and saw the officer with a fatal gunshot wound and called authorities.

The officer was in civilian clothes but was carrying identification.

Officers also found a gun in the car.

Houston police said the officer signed out the cityowned Ford sedan about 8 a.m. Wednesday. HPD investigators remained at the scene for several hours as they gathered evidence in the case. They blocked off all traffic along both lanes of Westheimer through the park during the inquiry.

HPD officials said they didn’t know what was behind the officer’s apparent suicide.

He was not the target of a department internal affairs investigation and his commanders weren’t aware of any other investigations, officials said.

Cannon said the officer’s identity may be released on Thursday.