White Settlement officer shoots driver after police chase

A White Settlement police officer shot a driver after a police chase on Tuesday afternoon.

A neighbor says the suspect used to live at a home in the 600 block of Meadow Park Drive, where the shooting happened around noon. Crime scene investigators spending over seven hours processing the scene.

The driver of a red Ford pickup truck was shot by a White Settlement police officer after investigators say he led law enforcement officers on a 15-minute low-speed pursuit through the city with a gun pointed at his neck.

“When the truck went by, I seen the cops come by,” said witness George Garrett. “They had the sirens on. Another cop came by. He had his siren on. Another cop came by. He had his siren on.”

According to Lt. Tim Denison with the White Settlement Police Department, the suspect was initially pulled over by a city marshal for running a stop sign. The marshal realized the man had outstanding warrants and asked the suspect to get out of the truck. He initially complied.

“At that time, he ran back to his vehicle where he jumped in the driver seat of the truck,” Denison said. “He pulled out a gun and put it to his head.”

The marshal continued to follow the suspect as he called White Settlement police for back up. At least two units responded. The suspect eventually stopped in front of this blue home, got out of the truck and pointed the gun to his head.

“Officers began giving commands for the driver of the vehicle to drop the weapon,” Denison said. “He refused to do so. At which time, he was shot by a White Settlement police officer.”

The driver was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital with serious injuries.

SKY4 was overhead as investigators processed the gun into evidence after it was left lying in the grass. Investigators say they don’t know if the suspect ever pointed it at officers, adding that they will be reviewing body and dash cam video.

A woman who lives at the home where the shooting happened could be seen crying. It’s unclear what her connection is to the suspect. Hours later, police let her drive off in the suspect's red pickup truck.

The White Settlement police officer who shot the suspect is on paid administrative leave, which is standard protocol as the investigation plays out. Police would not say what type of outstanding warrants the suspect had.

Police have not released the identity of the suspect or the officer who shot him. The Texas Rangers are handling the investigation.