Four Houston police officers were shot Monday afternoon and a fifth was injured while executing a search warrant on a suspected drug house on the city’s southeast side, authorities said.
Two suspects inside the home were shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with officers, police said.
Two officers were in critical but stable condition after the shooting, according to Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo. Two others were in stable condition and a fifth person with a knee injury was treated and released.
Update 11:35 a.m. EST Jan. 29: Acevedo said Tuesday that officers were met by a pit bull and a hail of gunfire Monday afternoon as they attempted to serve a drug warrant at a home in Houston's Pecan Park neighborhood.
Four officers were shot in the attack and one other suffered an injury to his knee.
Hospital officials said Tuesday that two officers remained in critical condition Tuesday after suffering gunshot wounds to their faces. Two others were in stable condition, including one officer who was shot in the shoulder and released from the hospital on Monday night, officials said.
The officers, who Acevedo said were all narcotics investigators, were shot by two suspected drug dealers identified as Dennis Tuttle, 59, and Rhogena Nicholas, 58.
Acevedo urged politicians to address gun violence Tuesday and expressed frustration over the common refrain of “hopes and prayers.”
“We don’t elect people to pray for us. We elect people to lead for us,” he said. “Quite frankly, we’ve got a community that prays for us.”
Update 11:15 a.m. EST Jan. 29: Officials said Tuesday that the officers injured in Monday's shooting were all undercover narcotics investigators.
Three officers were in stable condition Tuesday, Acevedo said. Authorities did not provide an update on the condition of the fourth injured officer.
Update 10 a.m. EST Jan. 29: Police are expected to provide additional information on the incident at a news conference scheduled for 10 a.m. local time Tuesday.
Update 10:35 p.m. EST Jan. 28: "This has been a tough day for our city," Mayor Sylvester Turner said during a press conference Monday night outside Memorial Hermann Hospital where the injured officers were taken.
Acevedo said the unidentified suspects inside the home opened fire after officers identified themselves at the front door Monday around 4:15 pm local time.
Four of the injured officers are veterans in their 50’s and a fifth is 33-years-old. Acevedo did not release the names of the injured officers.
Acevedo also confirmed the two seriously injured officers were shot in the neck and that both were undergoing surgery Monday night.
Original story: Houston Police Union President Joe Gamaldi confirmed the officers were hit by gunfire.
“We currently have 5 officers shot, all on their way to the hospital. One is being life flighted,” he said in a post on Twitter.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo asked for prayers for the officers.
The shooting happened in a neighborhood in southeast Houston Monday afternoon, but the details are still unknown, according to KTRK-TV.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbot issued a statement on the shooting calling it a “horrific attack” and pledging “whatever state resources they need to bring swift justice to those involved.”
All the wounded officers were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital, according to KIII-TV.
Two of the wounded are listed in critical condition, KIII reported, with gunshot wounds to the face, leg and shoulder. The three other officers are in stable condition.
Police went to a house in southeast Houston Monday afternoon to serve a warrant, but it’s still unclear what the warrant was for.
Two suspects at the scene were killed and authorities are searching for a third, according to local news reports.
A neighbor told KIII she heard about 15 shots.
"I heard gunshots, I saw officers down."
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