HOUSTON – Joseph Pappas, the man accused of gunning down Dr. Mark Hausknecht in the Texas Medical Center last month, killed himself Friday morning as police surrounded him in a southwest Houston neighborhood.
TIMELINE: Explore how the case unfolded
Here are the events that led up to Pappas’ suicide, according to Houston police Chief Art Acevedo.
9:21 a.m.
Police receive a call from an employee of the Houston Parks Board who was patrolling the Brays Bayou Greenway Trail for vandals. The caller said he was chasing a suspicious person near Bob White Drive and the bayou.
“Over here we have a problem with graffiti, and he checks that area on a regular basis to make sure nobody is committing, vandalizing any walls or homes in that area,” Acevedo said.
9:25 a.m.
The employee calls back and says that the person he is following might be Pappas. He tells police that they are located near the Jewish Community Center. Officers respond, but the address they were given is wrong and they can’t find the man.
“The individual gave us the wrong address, so we started responding, but we couldn’t find where they were at,” Acevedo said.
9:30 a.m.
The employee calls police again and explains that he told the man, “I thought you were a vandal.” He says the man threw his hands up in the air and started walking away.
The employee calls back and says that he found a wallet where he spotted the man and found Joseph Pappas’ ID inside.
“The witness then looked and actually found a wallet that the suspect Pappas either discarded intentionally or unintentionally,” Acevedo said. “He looks in the wallet and realizes -- finds the ID -- recognizes the name Pappas, thanks to the efforts of the media.”
9:34 a.m.
Police officers arrive in the area.
9:35 a.m.
A single officer spots Pappas and orders him to put his hands up. Pappas lifts his left hand in the air, hides his right hand and makes a remark about suicide. The officer notices that Pappas is wearing body armor and moves behind his patrol car in case of gunfire.
“He actually made a tactical repositioning to position himself on the other side of his patrol car to put his engine block between him and the suspect,” Acevedo said.
A second officer arrives and starts to create a formation.
“That officer started forming a T-formation on the suspect,” Acevedo said.
Pappas pulls out a gun and shoots himself in the head. He dies at the scene.