LEAGUE CITY, Texas — A man accused of stealing a car was shot and killed by a League City police officer Saturday in the parking lot of a Walmart.
This happened shortly after 3:30 p.m. at the Walmart on FM 646 Road near the Gulf Freeway.
League City police Captain Harold Lee said the carjacker stole a car from a man in Houston earlier in the day before making his way to League City. Lee said his department knew the stolen car was in their city because one of their license plate reader cameras picked up the vehicle.
Police searched for the car and found it in the Walmart parking lot, but the carjacker was not in it, according to Lee. Police waited for the carjacker to return to the car and when he did, they approached him to ask about the stolen vehicle. Lee said that's when the carjacker pulled out a gun and pointed it at the officers.
One of the two officers then pulled out his gun and shot the carjacker, killing him.
Mario Coronado was shopping with his family at the Walmart when he says the suspect was being chased in the parking lot.
“The suspect hit the back of somebody’s car and that’s when he fell to the ground, and that’s when the officer started pointing his weapon at him," Coronado said. "And they told him 'don’t reach, don’t reach, stop moving.'"
Coronado said he ran to someone's car because he didn't want to stay and find out what was going on.
"And then I heard gunshots,” Coronado said.
Neither the carjacker nor the officer who shot him have been identified, but Lee said the officer worked with the League City Police Department for at least 13 years. Per protocol, he was placed on administration leave during the investigation into the shooting.
Lee said the man whose car was stolen by the carjacker earlier in the day was not hurt.
The Walmart remained open for customers doing last-minute Christmas shopping.