HOUSTON – A former Houston Police Department officer is accused of shooting his wife in the face with a rifle.
Galib Waheed Chowdhury, 31, was charged with aggravated assault of a family member with serious bodily injury in the shooting. A judge set his bond at $125,000.
Here’s what we know about the shooting.
What happened?
The following details were shared when Chowdhury appeared before a Harris County judge in probable cause court.
According to police, officers were dispatched to a shooting scene at Westerly Apartments located in the 10300 block of Clay Road in northwest Houston on Monday shortly after midnight.
Chowdhury reported the shooting and allegedly told the call taker he shot his wife while he was attempting to shoot someone who was breaking into their apartment. According to police, Chowdhury did not provide a description of the suspect or say where the person went.
Officer arrived on scene to find a 30-year-old woman, later identified as Chowdhury’s wife, suffering a gunshot wound to the face and hand.
Houston Fire Department paramedics transported her to the hospital where she underwent emergency surgery.
According to documents read in court, Chowdhury told the first responding officer, “We just got home. Apartment was open. Someone tried to break into the apartment. Someone got in. Tried to break in. I shot. She got in the way.”
Later, he told another officer, “We had just gotten home about 30 minutes ago. The doors were unlocked. We were having a conversation. She went to open the door. I heard some loud boom. There was a voice I didn’t understand, I don’t know, and she got in the way.”
The officers noted there was no evidence anyone damaged the front door of the unit. Inside the living room, police reportedly found a pile of clothing with hangers still attached and a piece of luggage. They also located an AR-15-style rifle.
Surveillance footage obtained from the leasing office showed that Chowdhury arrived home at 11:50 p.m. His wife arrived home at 12:27 a.m.
Chowdhury’s wife wasn’t willing to give a statement to police but told medical staff the shooting wasn’t intentional.
“The officers attempted to gather the complainant’s statement before going into surgery; however, she was not willing to provide a statement once she heard the officers were with the Houston Police Department,” a clerk read aloud during the probable cause hearing. “The complainant stated to medical staff that her husband, the defendant, shot at her but that it was an accident.”
Doctors told the officers that the woman sustained injuries to her eye, a cheekbone fracture, and multiple bone fractures to the right hand and fingers.
She gave officers consent to review the contents of her cellphone. Officers reviewed text messages between Chowdhury and his wife. They verified Chowdhury’s phone number using his employment records.
The following are some of the text messages Chowdhury allegedly sent his wife shortly before the shooting.
“Wow, sh*t wife.”
“Pick up, b****.”
“I need to know ETA.”
When officers met with Chowdhury at the police station to get a statement from him, Chowdhury asked for an attorney and refused to provide a statement.
Chowdhury was ultimately arrested and charged for his role in the shooting.
The incident is being investigated by the HPD Special Investigations Unit, Internal Affairs Division and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
What do we know about Galib Chowdhury?
Chowdhury was relieved of duty pending an administrative investigation.
He was sworn in as an officer in March 2021 and was assigned to the Northwest Patrol Division.
He has no prior convictions.
What has been said about the case?
Investigators appear to believe the shooting could be a possible case of domestic violence. HPD Chief Troy Finner addressed the subject during a press conference.
“It’s never easy to stand before you. Domestic violence is very serious in our community and also around the nation, and we stand here at HPD to do everything that we can to prevent that,” Finner said. “Once you put that patch on and that badge on, you’re a police officer, and I expect you to conduct yourself at all times as a police officer. I’m very troubled on some things that we know now.”
Chowdhury has not been officially terminated. That decision is left up to the chief.
“This hurts, OK, it hurts all of us and I’m not going to indict him right now,” Finner said. “But what we know now, it hurts and I don’t want people to forget about the great, great work that thousands of officers do every day. And this the exception rather than the rule and I want to stand on that but at the same time I think it’s important for the public to know there’s accountability here at HPD.”
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESOURCES: