HOUSTON — A man was killed Tuesday after being shot by a police officer during a struggle in a southeast Houston Family Dollar parking lot, according to the Houston Police Department.
It happened around 2:30 p.m. at a store on Martin Luther King Boulevard at East Orem Drive.
HPD Assistant Chief Ban Tien said at the scene that the incident started as an auto-theft investigation when an officer noticed a stolen vehicle in the store's parking lot. Tien said the officer blocked the suspect's car in a parking space and approached the vehicle while asking the man to get out of the car.
That's when authorities said the suspect put the car into reverse and rammed into the officer's patrol vehicle.
Police said the suspect then got into a fight with the officer and that a woman associated with the man got involved. The woman ended up with the officer's stun gun and one of his magazines was knocked away by the suspect, according to HPD.
Officials said the man had gotten on top of the officer and continued physically assaulting him, prompting the officer to pull out his duty weapon and shoot the suspect once.
The man was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police said they believe the suspect was unarmed. The officer only sustained minor injuries, but Tien said he was shaken up from the incident.
The woman, who police identified as Donneka Abraham, 35, was charged with interfering with public duties.
The officer has been with HPD for seven years and will be placed on administrative leave while an internal investigation is underway. The Harris County District Attorney's Office and HPD Special Investigations Unit will also review the case.
Investigators said the vehicle was stolen by force around 1 a.m. on Tuesday.
Tien said the suspect may have had two felony warrants out for his arrest.