Holly MatkinTwo law enforcement officers were shot in the back in two separate attacks across the country from one another overnight Tuesday.
The first incident began just before 6 p.m. in Houston, after two Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputies were dispatched to a report of a suspicious person in the 1200-block of Forestburg Drive, KTRK reported.
When they arrived at the scene, they encountered 37-year-old Moises Martinez, who pulled a gun and opened fire on them, according to police.
One of the deputies was hit in his back, cheek, and hands, KPRC reported.
The second deputy returned fire, but missed the attacker.
Martinez, who was wanted for two felony warrants tied to a prior five-hour standoff with police in October of 2020, fled the scene, KTRK reported.
He was apprehended overnight following a four-hour manhunt.
The wounded deputy was rushed to Northwest Houston Hospital.
His ballistic vest stopped the round from entering his back, and he is expected to make a full recovery, according to police.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez identified him as 35-year-old Deputy Barragan, but did not release his first name, according to multiple news outlets.
Deputy Barragan has been with HCSO for 18 months, and previously served eight years with another law enforcement agency, KPRC reported.
“Very relieved to find out that our deputy is going to be okay,” Sheriff Gonzalez said during a press conference on Tuesday night, according to KTRK. “He is stable. He’s conscious. He gave me a thumbs up. He was smiling.”
Police were already familiar with Martinez, who allegedly hurled cinder blocks and rocks at them during the five-hour standoff that took place just three months ago, KPRC reported.
That incident unfolded after Martinez’s mother called police to report that her son had robbed her of her cell phone, according to KTRK.
He was ultimately driven out of the house using tear gas.
While Deputy Barragan was recovering in the hospital in Houston, another shooting broke out in the Soundview section of the Bronx in New York, WABC reported.
The second attack occurred at approximately 10:30 p.m., as a 31-year-old plainclothes New York Police Department (NYPD) officer with the agency’s Gun Violence Suppression Unit was driving near the intersection of White Plains Road and Lafayette Avenue with three fellow officers, according to the New York Post.
As the officers stopped their vehicle, the 24-year-old suspect spotted them and took off running, WABC reported.
“Within seconds, they were in a gunfight,” NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said.
The officers jumped out and began chasing after him, at which point the suspect turned around and fired at them four times, according to police.
One of the officers was hit in his lower back, just below his ballistic vest, WABC reported.
He fired back at his attacker one time, but did not hit him, police said.
His fellow officers rushed the wounded officer to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition, according to WABC.
“He is in a lot of pain, but thankfully we expect him to make a full recovery,” Commissioner Shea told reporters.
The wounded officer has served the NYPD for over six years.
His family and fellow officers flocked to the hospital to be with him after the shooting, according to the commissioner.
“They are very upset,” Commissioner Shea said, according to WABC. “But at the same time, they realize – probably an element of shock – how it could have been very different.”
The alleged shooter’s weapon was recovered by police at the scene of the shootout, according to the NYPD.
He has been taken into custody, but his identity has not been released, WABC reported.
The suspect also has a record of arrests out of New Jersey and New York City, police said.
