HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — The Harris County Sheriff’s Office released body camera video showing an officer-involved shooting of a man who claimed to be a police officer before shooting at deputies.
The Jan. 15 incident began when deputies were dispatched to a call reporting a suspicious man claiming to be a police officer.
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The caller reported that a man was refusing to leave an area, repeating the claim that he was an officer.
“But of course he’s not, he’s a civilian,” the caller can be heard saying in dispatch audio.
Officers responded to the scene and began speaking with the man.
“Are you the police?” one of the officers can be heard asking.
“Yes,” the man replies.
The officer then asked to see the man’s ID. He refused to provide it and argued with the officers. The officers then used a Spanish translation phone line to ensure the man understood their requests.
“How do you know me? You don’t know me as a police officer? Are you just playing?” the man said in Spanish.
As the officer tried to facilitate a discussion between the man and translator, he began to pace around, prompting the officer to push him away twice and order him to stop moving.
Body camera video then shows the man pulling a handgun wrapped in plastic from his waistband.
Both officers attempted to take cover behind vehicles. Multiple gunshots can be heard.
Officers can be seen firing several shots as the man ran around the vehicles where they had run for cover.
The man had also fired shots at the deputies, the sheriff’s office stated. He was fatally wounded during the shootout.
The incident remains under investigation.
