An armed man was shot by two police officers Tuesday morning at a southwest Houston hotel, according to the Houston Police Department.
The officers answered a call about a suspicious suspect at the Comfort Inn Suites in the 11050 block of the Southwest Freeway.
HPD Executive Assistant Chief Troy Finner held a press conference with the media Tuesday morning and explained what happened.
Finner said the man was armed with a pistol when officers approached him inside the hotel.
They gave verbal commands and tried to detain him but the man ran outside, Finner said. The officers chased him but he ran on the service road and got away.
A short time later, he came back on the hotel property and officers again ordered him to drop his weapon.
Finner said the man tried to enter the hotel and, in fear for their lives and the lives of hotel staff and guests, both officers fired their weapons hitting the suspect.
The officers and a DPS trooper then gave first aid to the 26-year-old suspect. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Finner asked the public to pray for the suspect and said the young man does have a family.
He also stressed how difficult a situation it was for the two officers involved.
"I also want to say this, people don't understand just how difficult our jobs are sometimes. I want commend these officers. They did everything they could do today to not shoot this individual. I don't know his motivations." Finner said. "They are both visibly shaken. People don't understand the emotion, pull, and stress on an officer that has to shoot someone."
He also asked for the public to pray for the officers involved in the shooting.
"When you give a suspect commands, one after another, and use all the restraints you can, I don't expect my officers to wait until the suspect shoots them. It's very sad when we have to use deadly force but today, they used all the restraint that I expect them to use." said Chief Finner.
The officers were not injured in the shooting.
The investigation will be conducted by the DA's Office, HPD's Investigation Unit, and HPD Internal Affairs.