FULSHEAR, Texas — A 53-year-old man is dead after he was shot by a Fulshear police officer who was being dragged by his vehicle, according to Police Chief Mike McCoy.
The chief said the officer was trying to detain the suspect, who had a felony warrant out of Virginia, when he tried to drive away.
This is the second officer-involved shooting to ever happen in the city of Fulshear. While police say it appears the officer feared for his life, they will still be investigating to sure all policies were followed.
This all started at 10:40 a.m. Thursday when the officer saw the suspect run a stop sign near Fulshear High School and pulled him over in the 9300 back of Charger Way.
When the officer ran a check on the driver, he found a felony warrant for "dangerous drugs" out of Virginia.
The officer said the driver became agitated and nervous, claiming he did not want to be late for work and that he couldn’t miss work. The officer told the suspect that he would have to handcuff him until they could sort out his warrant.
The suspect hunched over and acted like he was sick. As the officer was about to call for an ambulance, the suspect then shoved him and ran back to his car.
The officer tried to pull the suspect out of the vehicle but he took off, dragging the officer, the chief said. That's when the officer shot him.
The chief said once the officer freed himself, the suspect continued driving for another 800 yards before crashing into a field and a tree.
It is not clear at this time how far the officer was dragged.
The chief also said they are not sure how many times the suspect was hit or how many shots were fired.
More officers arrived at the scene and pulled the driver from the vehicle and attempted first aid, the chief said. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
The officer suffered scrapes to his leg and was treated at the scene.
The identity of the suspect has not been released and his family has not been notified, the chief said.
The Texas Rangers are now investigating the incident with the help of the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office. There is police-worn bodycam, dashcam and surveillance video from the school across the street from where the shooting happened.
The identity of the officer involved in the shooting has not been released, but the chief said he is a two-year veteran and that this is his first law enforcement job.
He has been placed on administrative leave while the Texas Rangers conduct their investigation.
“It’s a sad reminder that these things happen. And it’s sad that he had to end up this way. But we also want to make sure that the officer is OK too because he’s pretty upset about it,” the chief said.
The school was closed for the school year, but there were some activities still being held at the campus gym, the chief said.
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