Off-duty Houston police officer shoots robbery suspect at northeast Harris County Walmart, deputies say

An off-duty Houston police officer shot a possible robbery suspect at a Walmart store in northeast Harris County on Jan. 8, 2020, officials say. (KPRC) (KPRC)

HOUSTON – An off-duty Houston police officer shot an armed robbery suspect in northeast Harris County Wednesday afternoon, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

At about 3:06 p.m., HCSO tweeted that deputies were investigating the shooting at a Walmart store located in the 9200 block of N. Sam Houston Parkway.

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Officials said an off-duty officer was nearby when a man allegedly pointed a pistol at a Walmart clerk at the customer service counter. The officer, who is a 17-year veteran of the Houston Police Department, engaged with the suspect and shot him. Once the suspect was disarmed, officials say she then began first aid on the suspect.

No one else was injured in the shooting, officials said in a press conference. The suspect was taken to Ben Taub Hospital for treatment of his injuries and is in stable condition, officials said.

“Unfortunately this individual was shot because of what he did, but our officer did everything she could do not only to protect the public but also to protect him once he was shot so I think today she’s a hero for what she did,” said Houston Police Assistant Chief Bobby Dobbins.

People who were shopping inside the store at the time of the shooting heard the gunfire and panicked.

“We all started running to the back and we saw a worker telling us to come back to the storage room, ran out the back of the store so we ran to safety across the street,” said Lenethia Jefferson.