Sandy MaloneCypress, TX – Two Harris County sheriff’s deputies fatally shot a man armed with a knife in front of a convenience store in Cypress on Wednesday (video below).
The incident occurred late in the morning on March 18 in the 12900-block of Telge Road, KTRK reported.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said that deputies responded to a call from a convenience store about a man armed with a knife who was behaving erratically.
Sheriff Gonzalez said the suspect had blood on him when deputies arrived on the scene, KTRK reported.
Initially, the deputies – one of whom was a cadet trainee – tried to calm the man down but the altercation escalated quickly and both deputies deployed their Tasers.
The Tasers had no effect on the suspect, and a cell phone video filmed by a passerby showed that he continued to fight the deputies in the middle of the street.
They continued to struggle on the ground with the suspect as a sheriff’s department SUV arrived on the scene and a third deputy jumped out to assist them, the video showed.
The video showed the third deputy tried to help restrain the suspect by controlling his legs, KTRK reported.
Sheriff Gonzalez said the suspect pulled out a knife and the first two deputies drew their guns.
The video showed they both opened fire on the suspect, who was dangerously close to the third deputy, a split-second later, KTRK reported.
Four shots were fired in the video.
Deputies immediately performed CPR on the suspect who was then transported to the hospital.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to KTRK.
Anson Johnson witnessed the shooting and filmed the incident.
“[You] see a gentleman run by and the cops were running behind him, then they Tased him,” Johnson told KTRK. “He fell into the street. Pretty much the rest of it you see from the footage I had caught.”
“I feel like from what I’ve seen, and what I went back and watched on the video I took, he was trying to get away, he was, you know, fleeing,” he said.
Sheriff Gonzalez told reporters at the press conference after the shooting that deputies are well-trained to deal with mental health crises, KTRK reported.
“We spend a great deal amount of time and training and resources to make sure that all our deputies are properly trained in responding to individuals in crisis or mental illness,” the sheriff explained.
He said the deputy-involved shooting will be investigated by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, and the Harris Co Institute of Forensic Sciences, KTRK reported.
A full and thorough investigation is underway. Per standard protocol, each Deputy-Involved shooting is investigated by multiple parties including the DAs office, the Harris Co Institute of Forensic Sciences, and our agency. Our condolences go out to the deceased male’s family. https://t.co/A116yIKcZh
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) March 17, 2021
Sheriff Gonzalez said all of the deputies were wearing bodycams during the incident.
Watch the incident unfold in the cell phone video below. WARNING – Graphic Content and Obscene Language:
Holly Matkin
