Wounded gunman is in custody
A Bellaire police officer and an innocent bystander were shot and killed by a suspect in a southwest Houston parking lot Monday, officials said.
Investigators said Officer Jimmie Norman, 42, was chasing a suspect when they drove into the parking lot of a Maaco body shop at 5611 Bellaire Blvd. at Alder at 8:55 a.m. Witnesses said the suspect got out of his vehicle and began firing shots.
"The guy stands up out the car and just starts shooting. The gunshots continued even as I ran off. After the first 10, I was thinking, 'What kind of gun does this guy have?'" witness Stephanie Pacheco said.
The officer was hit, police said, and the suspect continued shooting. A man who walked out of the auto shop was then shot at close range. He died at the scene. He was an employee of the shop.
Norman was taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where he died a short time later. He did not exchange gunfire with the suspect as originally thought, HPD said.
"The saddest thing is that (Officer Norman) didn't even get an opportunity to pull his weapon and defend himself. That's how fast it all happened," said John Cannon with the Houston Police Department.
(Photos above by KTRH reporter Aaron Smith)
Houston police said the suspect fired at responding officers.
"They hear gunshots and they see the suspect standing near their fallen officer and they exchange gunfire with the suspect," Cannon said.
The suspect was wounded and ran off, but was found behind a nearby business. Investigators said a gun was recovered from the scene.
(Photo courtesy of KTRH television partner KPRC Local 2)
The suspect was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical but stable condition. Doctors said he is expected to survive. Charges are pending.
Get more on this story including video and photos of the scene, from KTRH television partner KPRC Local 2.
