KATY, Texas – Two Texas sheriff deputies were shot and wounded while exchanging gunfire with a suspect who died at the scene, authorities said.
The shootout happened Tuesday night in Katy, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Houston. Both officers were hospitalized with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said on Twitter.
According to Gonzalez, the deputies responded after receiving reports of shots being fired. When deputies arrived, Gonzalez said, the suspect shot at the deputies and the deputies returned fire. The deputies were hit and the suspect was declared dead at the scene.
Chief Deputy Edison Toquica said during a news conference Tuesday night that the original call for service, by an occupant of the home, was at 8 p.m. and was regarding a discharge of firearms inside the home.
Toquica said one of the deputies was struck in the right leg. The other deputy was struck in the leg and also grazed in the head and left ear.
“We’re blessed that both of them are in stable condition,” Toquica said.
He did not identify the deputies, but said they were 27 and 28 years old and that one had been on the force for one year and the other for two.
"Law enforcement is part of the community. Our kids go to school with your kids. We go to the same church, we shop at the same grocery store. So this is a time that we have to stand shoulder to shoulder and work together towards curbing the violent crime that we’re seeing,” Toquica said.
Law enforcement was advised that the suspect had paranoid schizophrenia, Toquica said, but cautioned that the information was preliminary and not “100% confirmed." The suspect was about 43 years old and was out of jail on bond for the 2020 aggravated assault of a family member, Toquica said.
The shooting was under investigation, he said.