[Editor's Note: This year, Drug War Chronicle is trying to track every death directly attributable to domestic drug law enforcement during the year. We can use your help. If you come across a news account of a killing related to drug law enforcement, please send us an email at [email protected] [11].]
According to Sky 2 News [13], citing law enforcement sources, a bounty hunter had tracked the man to a local motel and the US Marshals Service then tried to stop him, but he managed to escape. The man, driving a Nissan Cube, was cornered by deputies on Highway 6 at West Road.
According to KHOU 11 News [14], citing deputies on the scene, after they pulled over the vehicle, the driver started driving, hit one deputy, and tried to flee the scene. The deputies, "fearing for their lives," riddled the car with bullets, mortally wounding the driver, who sped through an intersection, then crashed into a curb. He died shortly thereafter at a local hospital.
Two deputies were injured in the incident, one who had his foot run over while directing traffic after the shooting and one was injured in a traffic accident en route to the scene. The deputy allegedly hit by the fleeing vehicle was apparently uninjured.
One man who saw the shooting go down said the driver did not actually hit a deputy, but "almost" did.
"I seen that cop turn his lights on and get behind the car, and I guess the car wouldn't stop. Actually, he almost ran over one of the cops and then they took fire on him. Boom, boom, boom, boom -- they shot out all the windows. I guess he got hit, and he ended up where he ended up," witness Moe Alyson told Sky 2 News.
KHOU 11 News reported that the man's wife later showed up the scene, where she was informed that he was dead. Deputies said the man knew he was being watched and told his wife he would soon be dead.
He was being pursued for at least four warrants, including drug possession, escape, and assault on his wife.