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A Houston Police veteran has died of his injuries, while a second officer who was shot and wounded while serving a narcotics search warrant early Monday is still in surgery and is believed to be in poor condition. stable, Houston officials said in their latest update.
William ‘Bill’ Jeffrey, a nearly 31-year veteran of the force, was shot several times and succumbed to his injuries. Sgt. Michael Vance, who has been with the police for 20 years, was also injured and underwent surgery on Monday. His condition is considered fairly stable. Both officers were members of the Houston Police Department. Firefighters, along with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, later responded to the scene.
A MILITARY PLANE TAKES OVER IN THE TEXAS DISTRICT, EJECTING THE CREW AND DAMAGING SEVERAL HOUSES
Members assigned to the Houston Police Major Offenders Division arrived at the home at 5350 Aeropark Drive around 7:28 a.m. Monday to serve a narcotics-related warrant. A woman opened the door and spoke to officers who asked the suspect’s whereabouts, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said at a press conference later Monday. The suspect got out and “immediately” started shooting at police officers – although his girlfriend and young children are also inside the apartment. He hit Jeffrey several times. Vance was also shot, although Finner did not say where on his body.
Officers retaliated, beating the 31-year-old black suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Finner has refused to release any other information that could identify the suspect at this time.
“Most of us know him personally. I’ve known him his entire career,” Finner said of the slain officer Jeffrey, asking the city of Houston to pray. “As his wife said, what a great man. What a great officer. His wife has just retired, building the house of her dreams with a child. Right now, I want to celebrate the service to him and to all of us. other officers across the country and in this great city… We will defend the number one family, and we will defend our city and do whatever we can in cooperation with our citizens to crush violent crime. ”
“It was a tragic day today. It’s another reminder that police work is inherently dangerous,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “Police officers never know what they are going to face when they leave their homes on duty. It is inherently dangerous.”
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez confirmed that officers were serving a “very serious and high level felony warrant” related to the narcotics. Authorities said more information on the warrant would be released later.
“Our hearts break for our brothers and sisters in the Houston Police Department,” Gonzalez added.
The update comes after Houston Police confirmed in a tweet that chiefs, commanders and public information officers were responding to reports of two officers shot down at 5350 Aeropark Drive in Houston. Local television news shows a strong presence of law enforcement on the residential street.
“It is not known where the agency officers are from at the moment,” said a first tweet from the police department.
Gonzalez tweeted that the two officers were shot while carrying out a warrant. A possible suspect died at the scene, Gonzalez added. A public information officer will also be at the hospital. No further updates were available immediately.
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Police said officers were being transported to Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center. KHOU 11 reported that a Life Flight helicopter had landed at the hospital with one of the downed officers. The second officer was rushed to hospital by ambulance, according to the station.
Danielle Wallace is a digital reporter for Fox News and FOX Business. Follow her on Twitter at @danimwallace. If you have any advice, you can email them at [email protected].
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