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A man in Houston who attempted to check himself into the hospital and was seen cutting himself in the parking garage was shot by police Monday after allegedly charging at an officer with a knife.
Houston police Chief Art Acevedo said the entire incident was captured by surveillance cameras.
The unidentified man wanted to check himself into the Ben Taub Hospital because he was in psychological distress, Acevedo said at a press conference Monday morning.
The man exited a stairwell to the hospital parking garage at approximately 1:20 a.m., climbed into his truck, and began cutting himself on the arm and neck. He then returned to the stairwell, police said.
An unarmed hospital security guard noticed a pool of blood next to the truck and called for assistance.
An officer with the Houston Police Department and a trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety – both in uniform – responded and began looking for the man. Both were working secondary employment performing security at the hospital, and, therefore, the officer was not wearing a body camera at the time of the incident, Acevedo said.
At approximately 1:35 a.m., the man with a knife started to walk toward the officer, who started backing up, drew his service pistol and ordered the man to stop and drop the knife.
The man started running toward the officer, who fired two rounds at him, Acevedo said. The man fell to the ground, lost control of his knife and then “almost immediately” got back up and ran toward the officer’s personal truck, Acevedo said. He got into the vehicle but could not figure out how to get the truck into drive.
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The officer and the trooper pulled the man from the truck, got him to the ground and placed him in handcuffs. Hospital staff wheeled the man inside for surgery.
At the time the incident was unfolding, the officer was not aware that the unidentified man had tried to check himself in for psychological distress, but “when an individual is coming at you and starts charging at you, starts running at you with a knife, regardless of their mental state you still have a right to defend yourself under state law and the Constitution," Acevedo said.
“You feel bad for everyone. You feel badly for an individual that came here reportedly trying to check themselves in for some kind of emotional, psychological issue. You feel bad for the officer that’s here trying to keep people safe and tried to do the right thing by creating distance,” the chief said. “But we’ve got a lot of innocent people here. A lot of vulnerable people here that are sitting here trying to get healthy and the only good thing about this morning is that the man appears to still be alive. I would ask to pray for this soul.”
The man bit the officer on the arm during the struggle and broke skin. But the officer was not injured otherwise.
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At the time of the press conference, the man was being treated for gunshot wounds and self-inflicted cuts to the neck and arms. An update on his condition was not immediately available.
The officer has worked for the police department for nine years, and he will be placed on limited duty pending further investigation, Acevedo said. The trooper has 25 years on the job, Acevedo said.
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