An off-duty highway patrolman shot his neighbor through the front door of his Houston apartment, police said. The victim is believed to have attempted to enter the wrong apartment by mistake.
The incident unfolded shortly after midnight on Monday inside a downtown apartment complex, located about a block away from Minute Maid Park, where the Houston Astros play. The man who was shot is believed to also live in the apartment complex, according to Yasar Bashir, assistant chief of police for the Houston Police Department.
“The trooper was off duty at that time and he discharged his weapon one time toward the suspect,” Bashir told Houston Public Media. “The suspect was struck and he left the apartment and when our officer arrived they were able to locate him some moments later and he was bleeding.”
Police noted he was not able to gain access to the apartment and that the trooper shot through the door. The victim, identified only as a 35-year-old man, was struck in the shoulder. He was rushed to the hospital and is expected to survive his injuries.
Police said the officer involved, who has been with the Texas Department of Public Safety for two years, believed at the time that his neighbor was a burglar attempting to break into his home.
“The trooper did give several commands for him to get away, and he believed he was going to make entry,” Bashir added.
The owner of the building, Finger Companies, told Fox 26 the incident appears “to be a case of one resident mistaking another resident’s apartment as their own.”
The Houston Police Department Special Investigations Unit, and the Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting.