Paper: Houston Chronicle

Date: Thu 06/05/2008

Section: B Page: 1 MetFront Edition: 3 STAR R.O.

Police fatally shoot man after interrupting alleged drug deal

By KEVIN MORAN, MIKE GLENN, PEGGY O'HARE

Staff

A Houston police officer who intervened in a suspected drug deal Wednesday fatally shot a man who struggled with officers, then appeared to be reaching for a gun, investigators said.

Throughout the day, police searched the area near the Pebblewalk Apartments in the 8500 block of Broadway for a weapon. As of Wednesday evening, no weapon had been found, said Houston Police Department homicide officer C.P. "Abbey" Abbondandolo.

Police said the man may have discarded a pistol as he ran from the officers.

The man, whose name was not released Wednesday, was seen making a transaction with someone inside a car that pulled up alongside him about 6 a.m. near the apartment complex in southeast Houston, police said.

Members of HPD's drug enforcement tactical team approached the man, who then rode away on a bicycle, said Capt. Bruce Williams. Three officers ran after him, briefly losing sight of him before spotting him at the Pebblewalk complex, Williams said.

The man abandoned his bike and ran farther into the complex before the officers caught up with him, Williams said.

Officers could not control the man, who "overpowered them," Williams said.

Pulled out Taser darts

Officer Hans Wagner fired his Taser at the man, the captain said. The officers struggled further with the man as he pulled the Taser darts out.

The man broke free and was fleeing when he reached into his pants and Wagner saw what he thought was a pistol and yelled, "Gun!," Williams said.

Officer Shane Nash fired at the man, who ran across the street to the Crescent City Apartments and died, Williams said.

Chris Barajas, 25, a resident at the Pebblewalk complex, said he heard the gunfire and then saw a man run past his building and a police officer chasing him.

"All I heard was the officer tell him, `Put the gun down!' " Barajas said, who added he could not tell if the man was armed because he ran by so fast.

Nash and Wagner are based at the Southeast Division, the captain said. He said Nash, a two-year HPD veteran, is a member of the unit's Gang Task Force while Wagner, a six-year veteran, is assigned to their Divisional Tactical Unit.

Nash was in uniform at the time while Wagner wore military-style fatigue pants and a heavy black bullet-proof HPD vest and a clearly visible badge that identified him as an officer, Williams said.

Wednesday's shooting occurred in an area of apartment complexes that have experienced numerous crimes, many drug-related, in recent years.

The first quarter of 2008 saw 26 reported drug crimes; 21 aggravated assaults and 18 armed robberies - all along the 8000 block of Broadway, according to unofficial HPD crime statistics.

Last Thursday, a man was found dead at the Woodlen Place Apartments - a block from the site of Wednesday's shooting. Police are unsure whether the man was shot there or died after being shot somewhere else and driven to the complex, HPD spokesman Victor Senties said.

`Crazy' neighborhood

A clerk at a nearby convenience store, who did not want to be identified, said Wednesday he and co-workers often hear gunfire at the neighboring apartment complexes and his store was robbed last month. A woman was recently mugged at a nearby bank while trying to use the automatic teller machine, he said.

"It's really crazy," said a 27-year-old man who has lived at the Woodlen Place complex for two months and was watching the scene outside the Pebblewalk Apartments.

"They break in people's houses," said the man, who did not want his name used. "The people roll up over here and shoot, they hold guns to peoples' heads. They're jacking (hijacking cars) and robbing around here. It's really terrible."

The man said that he has noticed an increased HPD presence in the neighborhood.

 

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