Death in police shooting is ruled homicide

The death of a man killed in a shootout with Houston Police on Sunday has been ruled a homicide, medical examiners have determined.

An autopsy showed Irvin Peterson had multiple gunshot wounds to his head and back. Police were initially unsure if Peterson, 35, had taken his own life instead.

Peterson called police to Palace Inn at 3421 Antoine Drive, near U.S. 290. Authorities said Peterson then killed two people — an unidentified man and woman — moments later.

He wounded two others and opened fire from a second-floor balcony as the officers arrived.

Three officers returned fire from about 40 yards away. The officers then found him dead at the motel room and the slain man and woman on the balcony.

Peterson, whom police identified Monday as the gunman, was last arrested in 2016 for metham

phetamine possession, a drug charge for which he received three years deferred adjudication.

Prior to that, Peterson,

whose criminal record dates back to 2004, was convicted of felony charges that included evading arrest, theft drug possession and delivering.

A homicide is defined as when a human is killed by another human. This includes justifiable homicides and officer-involved shootings or in-custody deaths.

Peterson is likely the eighth person to be shot and killed by Houston police officers in 2021.

Less than a week earlier, officers fatally shot David Salinas, who authorities said was fleeing a prostitution investigation.

Video from that shooting showed the officers opening fire on Salinas in his crashed car, where investigators said they believe he had been reaching for something.

A handgun was found near Salinas on the car floorboard, according to police.

Body-worn camera footage is expected to be shared from both shootings. Police most recently shared video from a June 20 shooting in which an officer shot and wounded a man and another incident on June 16 in which a man died in custody.