HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Authorities detained a third suspect in connection with the shooting of a Houston Police Department officer Tuesday, according to sources and confirmed by the department.
As the scene unfolded, SkyEye flew over police activity at a Taco Bell off Tidwell and US-290, where the third suspect worked. Sources told ABC13 he was hiding in the restaurant cooler when officers found him.
The wounded officer, whom HPD identified as Officer Scott Durfee, was released from the hospital Tuesday afternoon. HPD said Durfee will make a full recovery.
Durfee was wounded Tuesday morning while responding to a home invasion in the 7100 block of Alderney Drive, near Antoine Drive, in the Spring Branch area.
According to HPD Chief J. Noe Diaz, two men knocked on the door of a home and rushed in as soon as the homeowner opened it. A nearby neighbor heard the woman’s screams and immediately called 911, and two officers responded to the scene within four minutes. When officers arrived, they noticed the door was open and went in. They saw a woman and a child in the living room.
The woman’s father, Ben Bates, said she was home with her two kids.
“They zip-tied my daughter,” Bates said. “She has a 1- and a 3-year-old, and they proceeded to ransack the house.”
As officers approached the right side of the home, police said a suspect in a hoodie shot Durfee in the leg.
The wounded officer’s colleagues applied a tourniquet on him before EMS workers rushed him to Memorial Hermann Hospital.
The woman and two children weren’t hurt. Bates said the ordeal has traumatized his daughter.
“She’s terrorized, but she’s OK, and the kids are OK,” Bates said.
Police arrested both suspects at or near the scene. One was in front of Bruce Thomas’ home.
“What I heard first was a bunch of screaming. ‘Get down! Show me your hands!’ That kind of stuff,” Thomas recalled. “I was wondering what was going on. I got up and looked and saw the police cars and policemen walking up with their guns drawn on something.”
Thomas said he saw a weapon on his property after the arrest.
“A gun was found on my front right tire on my car,” Thomas said. “A roll of trash bags under my car and two key fobs belonging to two separate cars were left in my yard.”
Investigators described the two suspects detained at the home as Hispanic men between 20 and 25 years old. The third suspect was arrested just before 4 p.m. Police are looking into whether they are linked to other home invasions in the area.
Amid reports, Houston Mayor John Whitmire released the following statement on the incident:
“This morning, I was informed by Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz that an officer had been shot while courageously responding to a home invasion. I am relieved to report that the officer has been transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital and is in stable condition.
The incident happened in the 7100 block of Alderney Drive near Antoine Drive. Police detained two individuals at the scene, searching for a third suspect.
I extend my deepest gratitude to our brave first responders, who put their lives on the line daily to keep our community safe. Their dedication and sacrifice do not go unnoticed.”
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