By Nicole Hensley
Houston Chronicle
KERR COUNTY, Texas — A retired Houston police officer was shot and killed Monday in Kerr County during an argument with a neighbor — a retired U.S. Customs officer, according to authorities.
Mart Hanna, 68, who retired in 2003 from the Houston Police Department after 28 years, was shot to death around 3 p.m. in his Kerrville area neighborhood in the 500 block of Honor Drive, officials said. Police said they believe he had been arguing with Kenneth Brown, 71, another retired law enforcement official.
The two men pulled guns during the fight and opened fire. Hanna was struck but Brown was not.
Kerr County Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer said witnesses heard the argument but did not see the shooting, which happened in Brown’s yard. Brown called police to report the shooting.
Hanna’s daughter, Kate Hubbard, on Tuesday said her father was walking his dog at the time of the confrontation. She was unsure what sparked this argument.
The two neighbors had disputed in the past, particularly over speeding vehicles in the neighborhood, she said.
“He wasn’t a violent man,” Hubbard said, also characterizing him as a godly man and role model to many. “It’s definitely a devastating incident for everybody involved.”
Hierholzer said prior disputes among the neighborhood’s residents pointed to Brown as the instigator.
After retiring from HPD, she said Hanna moved to Kerrville and started a private investigation business.
Brown was not arrested and any charges against him would be at the discretion of a grand jury, the sheriff said. The Texas Rangers was helping in the investigation.
Houston police spokesman Kese Smith said Hanna retired as a lieutenant and that he last worked in the Robbery and Theft Division.
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