1-year-old baby accidentally shot by officer in deadly SW Houston shooting
BY Herschel Smith
3 years, 8 months ago
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A mother who pulled into a southwest Houston gas station overnight could never have imagined what happened next. Her 1-year-old baby in the backseat of her car was shot. The pair was caught in the middle as police confronted a chase suspect.
The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday at a Chevron gas station near the Southwest Freeway and Beechnut.
Police say the officer who opened fire didn’t know the baby was in the back seat.
The baby’s mother was parked at the gas station at pump 4. She was outside her car getting gas, and her baby was in the back seat.
Suddenly, a suspect in a black Mercedes crashed at the gas station, jumped out of the Mercedes, and got into her car, according to police.
Houston police had been chasing the man for about three miles. They say the black Mercedes he was driving was possibly linked to two aggravated robberies.
Officers thought he was about to steal the woman’s car.
Police say the man had a gun, so officers told him to drop it.
According to police, the man didn’t drop the gun, and that’s when the officer fired, hitting not only the suspect, but also the 1-year-old child in the backseat.
Your life is never in more danger than when the police are around.
The only thing left is for Art Acevedo to go in front of the cameras and tell everybody how great his officers are and how he has confidence in them.
On March 5, 2021 at 7:10 am, Matt said:
One of the four key rules of guns drilled into the head of every newbie shooter: know your backstop and what’s behind it. This rule is what kept me from dispatching a neighbors dog that got loose, came in my yard, and was aggressive towards me. Thankfully they noticed, called it back, and it went home.
Of course the cops will hide behind qualified immunity, which wouldn’t mean squat for you if you hit the kid even if you were facing an imminent deadly threat.
On March 5, 2021 at 10:31 am, revjen45 said:
I’m guessing the baby is White, since Houston has not been engulfed in BLM-led riot and affray.
On March 5, 2021 at 1:41 pm, F. T. said:
If the officer had dropped the guy with one single very accurate shot to the head and no one else but the suspect was hit, everyone would be calling the cop a hero. Did the cop do something wrong. ased on what transpired before they got to the gas station and the high tension of the situation, I’m not sure the officer did anything wrong. Did he break any department written policy? Was the car moving? Was the perp driving it at the time? Did the offier see the perps weapon? So may quetions that need to be asked. This story us not enough to convince me the cop was in the wrong. If the bullet had hit the bad guy only, you would all be praising him. Lets just wait to see what the investigation turns up.
Don’t throw tjis cop under the bus just yet, which is done so many times in these cases.
On March 5, 2021 at 1:57 pm, Herschel Smith said:
@F.T.,
No, I wouldn’t. Backstop. It’s not just for noobs.
On March 5, 2021 at 2:19 pm, BTPost said:
It is lack of training of the. LEO in question… Backstop, and Pistol Accuracy by the. Officer… How many trys did it tanke him to pass his last Qual with his Pistol? Was the vehicle blocked in so it couldn’t leave? Reminds me of the Austin TX shooting by a SWAT Sniper of a Mental 21 year old, armed perp, who was killed with a single shot, while using a child as a Human Shield… Training on Shoot, NoShoot should be manditory, Good Training, always helps these situations…
On March 5, 2021 at 3:09 pm, Chris Mallory said:
I wouldn’t be praising the cop either. I am of the firm opinion that 99% of the cops in the USA today should be disarmed. Cops have proven that they are as a group unfit to have the privilege of carrying weapons while employed by the government. I would even strip them of tasers since they mostly use those as torture devices in today’s world. Citizens should be armed. Civilian government employees should not be armed. Civilians are government employees not in the military. Cops are civilians.
On March 5, 2021 at 11:10 pm, George 1 said:
“Police say the officer who opened fire didn’t know the baby was in the back seat.”
Well that is the reason that you don’t shoot into places where you can’t see what is potentially in the line of fire.
“Lets just wait to see what the investigation turns up.”
We already know what the investigation will turn up. We investigated our officer and found that he did nothing wrong.
On March 5, 2021 at 11:42 pm, ensitue said:
I see a future for this cop on the DC police force
On March 6, 2021 at 9:40 am, Paul B said:
Let’s hope the cop feels terrible about the shoot.
Sounds like they had a real desperado in the Mercedes driver so amped up the Descision would have been hasty.
We will never know the full story, and cops should not have quailified immunity.
But I don’t think this was cops over the line, based on what I have read here.
On March 6, 2021 at 10:45 am, TRX said:
Hey, well, at least he wasn’t feeling threatened by a baby in a crib, and then “had to” toss a flashbang in and blow its face off.
That was the cops in Cornelia, GA. Qualified immunity, no charges. Bounkham Phonesavanh is seven years old now; he’ll have a nice career waiting at a circus freak show.
On March 6, 2021 at 12:42 pm, Okanogan Offgrid said:
Chris Mallory: “Civilians are government employees not in the military. Cops are civilians.”
I’ve been saying that for years. Cops and their bootlicking groopies tend to get pretty pissed when they hear it, but it’s true.
I even think the title LEO is a bit overboard. LEO is a lion. Lion’s are brave and cops are not. We should be calling CLEOs, as in Civilian Law Enforcement Officers, just like we did when I was in the Army and wearing a real uniform that meant something.
On March 6, 2021 at 12:48 pm, Fred said:
Policing isn’t about protecting anybody. Policing has been turned into projection of power. Who is the enemy against which power must be projected? You.
On March 6, 2021 at 4:53 pm, 21stCenturyCassandra said:
Rule #4: Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
On March 6, 2021 at 9:50 pm, Sisu said:
It is clearly a tragedy and I expect the officer involved is having a very difficult time considering the consequences of his actions. And, I will pray for him.
That said (IMHO) every comment above is relevant and should be considered in reviewing the incident as more information becomes available. …
Regardless, as described the incident provides another situation that feeds the growing sentiment that LEOs are improperly and poorly trained in handling conflict and arrests, including “too quick” to shoot and because of “immunity” and “shield” offered by their union they loose perspective – everything says “duty to the public at large” not to any one individual. … This needs to change.