HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Body camera footage released Friday shows the moments four Houston police officers opened fire on a longtime security guard who they say had pointed a rifle at them.
The video shows Walter Howard, 54, pointing a rifle out of the window of his SUV as he’s pursued by police on May 7 in southwest Houston.
The shooting occurred a short time later on Buxley Street, after police say Howard turned the rifle on them.
“My brother would not do that. Anybody (who) knows him will tell you he loved the police,” Howard’s sister, Patricia Youngwood, told Eyewitness News days later.
HPD said undercover officers initially became suspicious after Howard approached them wearing tactical gear while holding what appeared to be a rifle case.
Police say the undercover officers called uniformed officers to initiate a traffic stop, which is captured on the body camera video released Friday.
“You don’t have a front plate on your car,” an officer can be heard telling Howard.
Howard ignores officers’ commands to roll down all of his windows and then drives off.
Officers attempt a PIT maneuver. Howard is then seen pointing a rifle out of the driver’s side window, prompting police to attempt a second PIT maneuver.
After Howard turns down Buxley, police say he pointed a rifle out of his window again and aimed it at officers. The video the police released doesn’t show this, but you can hear officers opening fire.
“The rifle is pointed out the window. Be careful,” you can hear officers saying shortly before the gunfire.
Howard was hit in the shoulder and livestreamed some of the aftermath from his car, telling his loved ones to call an ambulance and, “Make sure y’all tell Channel 13.”
Howard is facing four counts of aggravated assault on a public servant and one count of evading.
Prior to the shooting, records show he had no criminal history in the state of Texas.
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