Houston police were caught in a brief shootout with a gunman wearing a bulletproof vest when he opened fire from inside his garage last month.
The incident happened just before 8 a.m. May 4 when officers responded to a report of a suspicious person with a weapon who had possibly fired it, according to a department news release. Once at the scene, police found the suspect—identified as Jesus Pedraza, 32—sitting in a lawn chair outside his open garage.
Pedraza was wearing a bulletproof vest and a gun belt at the time, and officers tried talking with him. That's when he retreated into the garage and drew a gun.
Pedraza pointed his gun in the direction of an officer, who opened fire. Pedraza was struck, and he returned fire as he fled inside the home when a woman opened a door in the garage.
Police surrounded the home and were in contact via phone with Pedraza's mother, who was inside the house with the suspect. Pedraza's mother agreed to open the home's front door and put Pedraza's gun on the front porch.
Once the door was open, officers entered and took Pedraza into custody. Pedraza was taken to the hospital for his gunshot wounds and then booked into Harris County Jail.
No officers were injured in the shootout. The officer who opened fire has been with the department since August 2016.
The incident is under investigation.
