By Mike Glenn
The Houston Chronicle
LEAGUE CITY, Tex. — League City police don’t know what prompted an armed man to barricade himself inside his apartment, setting off a two-hour SWAT scene that ended when a police sniper fatally shot him.
The officer fired when Raymond T. Lee aimed a .38-caliber pistol at League City police outside the apartment in the 1400 block of Louisiana on Monday afternoon, authorities said.
“He may have had some medical problems,” League City police Lt. Dan Krieger said Wednesday. “Whether he was taking some medications that contributed to this ... we just don’t know.”
Lee fired 12-18 rounds into the complex while barricaded inside his apartment. No one else was injured, Krieger said.
The 63-year-old was alone about 4:20 p.m. when concerned relatives came to check on him.
“He had been acting irrationally,” Krieger said. “He was apparently yelling at them.”
The leasing agent called police, who arrived to investigate.
“Some of our officers were out there, and (Lee) started shooting,” Krieger said.
Police evacuated adjacent apartments and set up a cordon around Lee’s unit. He responded with shouts or gunfire when the officers tried to talk to him, Krieger said.
Officials said Lee shoved a mattress against a bedroom window and smashed out the sliding glass door on the patio - giving SWAT officers a view inside the apartment.
The sniper fired the fatal shot when Lee aimed the pistol at other officers, police said. Officers fired tear gas before moving inside, where they found Lee dead.
The SWAT officer who shot Lee is receiving counseling.
Copyright 2008 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company