Man Fatally Shot after Vehicle Chase

Updated: Wednesday, 14 Oct 2009, 8:07 AM CDT

Published : Wednesday, 14 Oct 2009, 7:48 AM CDT

ALEXANDER SUPGUL

HOUSTON - A man has died from a gunshot wound following a vehicle chase into northeast Houston, but it has not been determined if a deputy fired the fatal shot or if it was self-inflicted.

Harris County deputies and Houston police arrived after 1 a.m. Wednesday to a parking lot on FM 1960 near Cypress Station Drive in response to a reported assault in progress. Authorities were notified that a man was chasing after a woman with a weapon.

Investigators said that when deputies and officers arrived, the suspect drove away in a truck and left a woman and her 2-year-old child sitting in the parking lot. The woman handed over a cell phone to authorities that she had been speaking to the suspect on.

Police and deputies chased after the suspect until he parked in the driveway of his home at the intersection of Imperial Valley Drive and Eldon Drive.

The suspect refused to exit the truck, took out a gun, pointed it to himself and then pointed it in the direction of the deputy, said a Harris County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman. The deputy then shot the suspect through the truck window, but investigators have not determined if that was the gunshot that killed the suspect.

The deputy has worked for Harris County for several years.