Man shot, wounded by police is identified

Police have identified a 27-year-old Houston man who was shot and wounded by officers Sunday when he pointed a gun toward them in southwest Houston.

Police said Erick Michael Coonrod, 27, did not respond to police commands and reached for what appeared to be a gun stuck in the waistband of his pants.

Officers fired multiple shots when he pulled the gun and pointed it at them, police said.

The weapon turned out to be a replica pellet gun, police said.

Based on a review of court records, Coonrod has a criminal record in Texas and Pennsylvania. He was arrested in October 2015 in Fort Bend County on two counts — criminal trespass and evading arrest.

He remained in the Fort Bend County Jail for 10 days before pleading no contest to the charges. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail.

Between 2008 and 2010, Coonrod also pleaded guilty to eight charges in the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, ranging from a summary offense to a third-degree misdemeanor, according to court documents. Some of the charges included providing false information to law enforcement, possession of drug paraphernalia and retail theft. Coonrod spent time on probation and in jail for several of the charges.

In a Facebook post in December, he made comments about having a rough year and going “back” to jail but pledged to turn himself around in 2016.

Sunday’s incident happened about 3:30 p.m. at 1100 West Alabama near Yoakum in the Montrose area, according to the Houston Police Department.

Police officers were sent to the scene after residents reported a man with a gun was in the neighborhood. When officers arrived they spotted the man, later identified as Coonrod.

The officers, identified as J. Baldwin and R. Naughton, opened fire on Coonrod, who was wounded more than once. Coonrod was rushed to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he was in critical condition.

The officers, both three-year HPD veterans, were not hurt.

As is customary in officerinvolved shooting incidents in the city, the HPD Homicide and Internal Affairs divisions, as well as the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, will investigate the case.

Anyone with further information in the incident is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600.