HOUSTON – Members of the Houston Police Department's SWAT team surrounded a home on Ashford Pine near Ashford Park Sunday afternoon.
Officers said they were trying to negotiate with an armed man barricaded inside a home, but that negotiation turned deadly when the suspect was shot and killed by SWAT officers.
"The suspect had every intent to do what he had to do to avoid being taken into custody," said Victor Senties with the Houston Police Department.
Senties said the man had gotten into an argument with a neighbor asking for his dog to be returned.
Police said that neighbor told officers the man threatened him with both a shotgun and pistol. When patrol officers arrived, police said the man refused to put his guns down.
"At that point the suspect raised his weapon as if he was going to fire on the officers," Senties said.
The officers opened fire and the man ran back into the house, put on cammo gear and kept peeking at them through his window, police said.
"I heard the noise," said resident Jackie Sanders. "It scared me, now looking back I realized it was a gunshot."
Sanders said at the time she had no idea officers had opened fire on a man who lives just three houses away from her.
"Then I heard someone shout very loudly, 'come out with your hands up, and I thought, 'wow, that must be close,'" said Sanders. "I stayed inside because I was afraid."
SWAT officers surrounded the house and when the man refused to communicate with them, police said they brought in a battering ram. Police said the man then opened fire on their armored vehicle.
When SWAT officers noticed the man had a laser sight on his gun, they returned fire, killing him, police said.
Senties said officers recovered a multitude of weapons from the scene.
Police said the officer who initially fired at the suspect is J.R. D'Eugino. He's a 29-year veteran of the force. It's not yet known if the suspect was shot during the initial confrontation.