The Associated Press
HOUSTON — A man was charged with capital murder Monday in the fatal shooting of a Houston police officer after making a traffic stop in a troubled neighborhood.
Mabry J. Landor, 28, was in jail without bond after being accused of killing Officer Timothy Abernethy on Sunday morning.
Abernethy. 43, was working overtime on Sunday in a part of northwest Houston so dangerous police include it in a “hot spot” program to put more officers on the street. Police say Abernethy, an 11-year Houston police veteran, had pulled over a vehicle for a minor traffic violation and had submitted the car’s license plate to a dispatcher when the driver ran away.
Abernethy, who was working alone, began chasing the man through an apartment complex. Witnesses say that at one point the man ducked behind a wooden gate and when Abernethy ran by, shot him in the head from less than 10 feet away. By Sunday afternoon, police had the suspect, who they said has a history of violent crimes, in custody.
Abernethy is survived by a wife and two children.