Metro officer kills suspect, wounds bystander on jogging trail near Rice

11:36 AM CDT on Wednesday, May 6, 2009

By Michelle Homer & Allison Triarsi / 11 News

HOUSTON -- A Metro police officer shot and killed a suspect and wounded an innocent bystander on the jogging trail that circles Rice University Tuesday morning, according to a Metro spokesperson.

It happened around 10:30 a.m. near the intersection of Main and University.

The bullet apparently went through the suspect and hit the unidentified woman who was pushing a stroller, according to the preliminary report Houston Police Department.

She was taken to Ben Taub Hospital with a bullet wound to the arm. Her condition isn't known, but the wound was not life-threatening, according to police.

The suspect was pronounced dead on the scene.

It all started at the Memorial Hermann rail platform near Dryden and Main after someone flagged down an officer saying a man had assaulted them.

The suspect took off on foot and Officer J.P. Zepeda chased him.

Metro police say the suspect was waving a knife and refused orders to stop. 11 NEWS Two people were shot on the jogging trail that circles Rice University.

"The Metro police officer, at that point, discharges his Taser, strikes the suspect," said HPD officer Victor Senties. "The suspect pulls the darts out. The Taser has no effect on him."

Metro Officer R.L. Harrington arrived and Tasered the suspect two more times, but that didn't phase him either.

The officers say he was lunging with the knife so Harrington shot him -- and accidentally shot the bystander.

Raul Leal, who works in the nearby Medical Center, was outside taking a break and saw the whole thing happen.

"Sometimes your guard is down. You have to always keep it up," Leal said. "Always be on the lookout. You just never know -- even in a well-respected community like this."

Officer Harrington will be on desk duty pending the outcome of the investigation by the Houston Police Department Homicide Division.

Main Street was shut down after the shooting causing a major traffic jam in the area.