Neighbors: Off-duty HPD officer, man he shot were both good guys
11:28 AM CDT on Monday, August 3, 2009
By Kevin Reece / 11 News
HOUSTON—An off-duty HPD officer and a tow truck driver involved in a deadly shooting at a Kingwood apartment complex were both described by neighbors as “good guys.”
Residents of the Woodland Hills Village apartments expressed shock about the shooting, which ended with tow truck driver John Barnes lying dead in the complex parking lot.
Both Barnes and the man who police say shot him, Officer R. Gardiner, live at the complex.
Houston police say Gardiner was working a security job, wearing his HPD uniform, when he saw Barnes and a woman arguing.
Police said Gardiner tried to intervene, but Barnes struggled with him and grabbed his belt.
“The suspect manages to get the officer’s Taser out from his holster, points it at the officer, tells him ‘you’re dead,’” HPD spokesman Victor Senties said.
Gardiner then pulled out his gun and opened fire. Police have not confirmed how many shots, but neighbors said they heard as many as six.
“I heard pop, pop and then pop pop pop pop, and there was, like, a hesitation,” resident Cynthia Leondike said.
“It’s been tough. It’s been tough, for something to happen right outside,” resident Rich Cornwell said.
Co-workers said Barnes was a driver for S and J Towing in Humble.
They said he once worked as a sheriff’s deputy in Tennessee.
Neighbors said Barnes was in a good mood just hours before the shooting, playing at the apartment complex pool with his young daughter.
“He was playing around and things like a normal family, but you know it’s just sad this thing happened,” resident Guillermo Avitia said.
“The bottom line is, a daughter is without a father. So it just hit really close to home,” Leondike said.
Senties said Gardiner will be placed on 3 days administrative duty while the case is under investigation.
“That’s the last thing they want to do. The last thing they want is for an encounter with a suspect to turn out this way,” Senties said.