(NEW YORK) — Two young Texas sheriff’s deputies are recovering after they were shot in an “ambush,” but managed to return fire, fatally shooting the suspect, officials said.
The Harris County sheriff’s deputies — ages 27 and 28 — were both hospitalized in stable condition, Harris County Chief Deputy Edison Toquica told reporters late Tuesday.
The incident began when the officers responded to a call Tuesday night by someone who reported a family member firing a gun in the home, Toquica said.
Deputies were confronted by the suspect, who Toquica said immediately pointed his gun at the deputies and fired in their direction.
One deputy was hit in the leg and the other was struck in the leg and grazed in the head and ear, Toquica said.
The deputies returned fire, hitting the suspect, who died from his injuries, he said.
Toquica commended the deputies, saying they “probably wouldn’t have done anything different … they approached the residence as they should have.”
“They were ambushed,” he said.
Remarking on how the deputies returned fire after being shot, Toquica said, “They stayed in the fight and did what they were supposed to do, and as a result, they’re alive.”
One deputy has been on the job for two years and the other has been on the force for one year, he said.
The suspect had been out on a personal recognizance bond for a 2020 charge of aggravated assault of a family member, Toquica added.
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