HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A woman was shot inside of her own apartment by deputies who were responding to a burglary call.
According the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the woman broke her window after forgetting her keys. That broken window is what led deputies to think that someone may be inside the apartment that wasn’t supposed to be there.
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The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the incident started at 2:10 a.m. Saturday at the Pines of Woodforest apartments at 90 Uvalde Road.
RELATED STORY: ‘Counted like 17, 18 shots:’ Witness recalls Harris Co. sheriff’s deputies shooting woman in her own apartment
When the woman broke into her apartment, the neighbor downstairs called 911 to report a possible break in.
“I called 911 because I heard the. I heard the glass breaking,” said Robert Mitchell, who called 911. “I met the girl that stays up there. I met her yesterday. I have a two year old son, and she has a three year old son. So, when I heard the glass breaking, I looked out the window to see what I could see. And I didn’t see her car, so I just was like, damn. I thought maybe somebody was breaking in.”
However, deputies were already there for another separate burglary report just a few doors down in the same building.
That caller reported that someone was inside her apartment. The first deputy arrived at 2:14 a.m. and cleared the apartment, but no intruder was found.
Before leaving, deputies were flagged down by the neighbor who called about the glass breaking in the apartment above his.
Deputies went over to investigate and saw damage to a window near the front door and saw the glass was broken and the blinds were raised. The deputies knocked on the front door and announced their presence, according to the sheriff’s office.
“When the cops showed up, I was expecting them to come to me, but they were like walking past me,” Mitchell said. “I kind of flag around like, yo, I just called. And she was like, no, we have a call for another situation.”
Deputies could see into the apartment through the broken window. The sheriff’s office said one deputy saw a woman approaching the door holding a gun. Two deputies then fired their guns and struck the woman.
“Yeah, I think like 17. I counted like 17, 18 shots,” Mitchell said. “So, when I’m downstairs, I’m just hearing boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
Deputies rendered life-saving aid and requested emergency medical services.
The woman was taken to a hospital. The deputies then conducted a safety sweep of the apartment and did not find anyone else inside. A handgun was found inside the apartment, which is believed to be the same gun the deputies had seen the woman holding before they fired their weapons.
“Investigators later determined that the wounded female is a resident of the apartment and that she and another female had broken their own window to get inside because they did not have the apartment key,” the sheriff’s office said.
Per HCSO protocol, the two deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave.
The sheriff’s office said all evidence gathered in the investigation will be given to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for presentation to a grand jury.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is also conducting an independent investigation.
“The Harris County Sheriff’s Office Internal Affairs Division is conducting an additional investigation. The results of this administrative investigation will be presented to the Sheriff’s Administrative Disciplinary Committee to determine if the deputies’ actions were in accordance with departmental policies and procedures,” the sheriff’s office said. “Per HCSO policy, relevant body worn camera video footage regarding this critical incident will be released within 45 days of its occurrence.”
Anyone with any information on this incident is urged to call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at 713-221-6000.