Houston police officers shoot man near Sunnyside Park, HPD says

Houston police shot and killed a man Saturday night in Sunnyside Park after receiving reports of gunshots coming from a ShotSpotter alert system device nearby, the department said.

HPD officials said officers were called to the 8600 block of Comal around 6 p.m. Deputy Chief Megan Howard told reporters that a resident directed them to the park, where they found a man in his 30s allegedly brandishing a gun in the parking lot. The man has not been identified by police.

Two officers confronted the man from a distance, Howard said, and gave several commands to drop the gun. The man raised his gun, according to the police account, and the two officers responded with gunfire.

The man, who Howard said was shirtless and wearing blue jean shorts, was shot in the leg and taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition. He is expected to live.

Howard said park residents then gathered near the scene of the shooting, prompting officers to tell them to stand back. A person picked up the gun the man was holding, police said, before asking him to drop it on the ground.

HPD was still investigating the shooting, along with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Howard said the department is also conducting an internal investigation into the shooting.

The officers who shot the man have been placed on administrative duty pending the results.