HPD now unsure if man shot by officers inside W. Houston apartment complex fired at them at all

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The Houston Police Department has walked back whether a man shot by officers in an apartment hallway ever fired at them.

On Wednesday, HPD said it had proof, but on Thursday, officials said they are investigating to determine if he fired at all.

In the Ring doorbell camera footage that a resident sent, officers respond to a burglary call hurrying down the hallway inside Flats on Tanglewilde on Houston’s west side.

“It sounded like firecrackers, like ‘Pop!'” one resident said.

Another resident, who didn’t feel safe showing her face or giving her name, said she heard the shots.

“I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ We heard the gunshots. It was literally around the corner,” she said.

Neighbors pointed to a now-boarded-up door as the apartment where police were called. Law enforcement said the resident saw masked people coming into her unit through doorbell video. The resident called the police and a relative.

Police told on Wednesday that when they arrived, the armed relative was already there and that he fired at them, prompting officers to fire back.

“He raised the firearm and discharged his weapon at the officers, and we have evidence to back that up. The officer returned fire. They discharged their weapons multiple times,” HPD Assistant Chief Yasar Bashir said on Wednesday.

However, in  news release on Thursday, they walked that back, saying when officers arrived, they saw a person matching the description of the intruders.

Police said when they told him to stop, they saw he had a gun pointed in their direction, so they fired. They’re now working to determine if the 19-year-old fired his weapon at any point in the altercation.

The relative was shot in the leg and taken to the hospital.

Bullet holes, the evidence of the shooting, were left in the ceiling, on the walls, and in door jams.

“There are some in the corner, some in the side. Four is a bit excessive,” a neighbor said.

The thieves and the shooting, residents said, could have been avoided if management had heeded their warnings that exterior doors had stopped locking.

“The doors need to be fixed. We need something. We pay too much money to live here and not have any of that,” a resident said.

As of Thursday evening, authorities haven’t filed charges. It takes 30 days for police to release body-worn camera video.