Doorbell cam captures arson suspect in act before HFD investigator killed

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Moments before a Houston Fire Department arson investigator was fatally injured in a northwest Houston shootout, someone set fire to a car just blocks away.

The fire happened on W. 18th Street and destroyed an SUV owned by the Allen family.

The man believed to have torched the vehicle is seen on home security video walking away from the area.

HFD Arson Investigator Lemuel Bruce was blocks away from that fire and was conducting surveillance around 3:30 a.m. Friday when he got into some kind of confrontation in the 2100 block of W. 18th Street near Watercrest, according to HFD.

Bruce was shot and later died at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

The suspect involved in the shooting died at the scene.

Arson investigators had been looking into a series of recent arsons in the Timbergrove/Heights area.