HPD officer’s chase, struggle with Kingwood burglary suspect plays out in new bodycam video

KINGWOOD, Texas (KTRK) — “You’re gonna get shot! You’re gonna get shot!”

That warning reverberated in newly-released body-worn camera footage showing the moments leading to a Houston police officer shooting and killing a burglary suspect in a Kingwood neighborhood.

The police department released the video on Friday, 27 days after 43-year-old Julio Alberto Sifuentes died during a struggle with an officer identified only as “K. Ipina.”

Sifuentes and another man, Lewis Ramirez Jr., 37, were suspected of trying to break into a home on Aug. 4 along Woodland Grove Drive in the Kingwood area.

Officer Ipina’s point of view was the primary footage released by the department, showing his response from behind the wheel of his patrol vehicle and his foot chase with Sifuentes.

According to police, Ipina saw Sifuentes walking away from a parked car in the driveway of the home suspected of being burglarized. The officer commanded Sifuentes to stop where he was but he took off on foot.

The body-camera footage shows the officer chasing Sifuentes through several backyards before catching up with him as he attempted to jump a fence.

At that moment, the suspect began to fight with the officer and a physical altercation ensued, police said. The suspect then produced a handgun and attempted to shoot the officer. The officer was able to retrieve his own firearm and discharged his weapon, striking the suspect.

Police showed a portion of the video in a slower playback speed, with Sifuentes apparently holding a gun, which was something that could be missed in regular speed.

The video then shows Sifuentes going limp as he’s put into handcuffs.

An additional officer, who responded to Ipina’s “shots fired” call, performs CPR on Sifuentes before paramedics step in and later pronounce him dead.

Ipina sustained minor injuries.

Surveillance video also showed a second suspect, later identified as Ramirez, leaving the residence in the car that was parked in the driveway. Officers located him a short time later, and Ramirez was arrested without incident.

HPD Chief Troy Finner said officers were originally responding to a call from a homeowner who was alerted by her security camera of two unknown people breaking into the back of her home.

Officer Ipina is a three-year member of HPD, based out of Kingwood, according to Finner. The incident is under investigation by the HPD Special Investigations Unit, the Internal Affairs Division, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

Meanwhile, Ramirez is out on $75,000 bond on a charge of burglary of a habitation. He’s due back in court on Oct. 10.