HOUSTON – A Houston police officer was involved in a shooting at a gas station in north Houston.
Police say the shooting happened around 1:45 p.m. Monday at a Chevron gas station at 6121 Irvington Boulevard and 610 North Loop East.
An off-duty officer who was not in uniform was pumping gas into his car when two men tried to rob him, according to the manager of the Chevron store.
The officer has been identified as B. Cheng. He has been with HPD for 20 months.
Police say Cheng was with a friend who was pumping gas into a separate vehicle at the gas station. Cheng's friend alerted him that a man was trying to steal items in his car. A metallic blue four-door Chrysler 200 had also parked alongside Cheng's vehicle, according to the Houston Police Department.
Investigators say Cheng feared the man would try to steal his off-duty weapon, and he went to the trunk of his car to get his duty weapon.
That's when Cheng was distracted by his friend who had approached the Chrysler and kicked the vehicle's passenger door. Authorities say the driver started screaming at them and reached down for something.
Cheng told investigators he thought the man was reaching for a weapon. At the same time, the man got out of Cheng's car and approached Cheng and his friend in a crouched manner, according to officials.
Cheng then got his duty weapon from the trunk of his car and he lost sight of the attempted thief. Police say Cheng then turned his attention back to the driver who was still yelling at them.
Police say that's when Cheng fired at least four shots, believing the driver was going to shoot him and his friend.
Authorities say when the Chrysler sped off, the initial suspect looked up from the backseat at Cheng and his friend through the rear window.
It is unknown if either of the men were hit by the gunfire. Police say no patients with gunshot wounds have showed up at area hospitals.
Cheng's secondary weapon and no other items were stolen, according to the Houston Police Department. The man was trying to steal gift cards from the vehicle, according to investigators.
Police describe the first suspect as a black man, about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a chubby and unshaven face. He was wearing a navy blue puffy jacket with fur on the hood.
The getaway driver is described as a black man who was wearing a black puffy jacket.