Report: Slain Texas lawman felt threat from target of probe
BAYTOWN, Texas (AP) - A newspaper report said Tuesday that a Texas law enforcement officer shot and killed moments after arriving for work had told officials he felt threatened by a man he'd once targeted in a corruption investigation.
Read Search underway for gunman after Texas deputy constable shot
The Houston Chronicle also reported Tuesday that Harris County Precinct 3 Assistant Chief Deputy Clinton Greenwood was shot at close range by a man who stepped out from behind a dumpster and that when officers arrived at the scene, Greenwood pointed in the direction of where the gunman had fled before collapsing.
Greenwood, 57, had shared his concerns about the man he had investigated with the Harris County Attorney's Office last week, a source who asked not to be identified because of the nature of the investigation told the newspaper. Greenwood was fatally shot Monday outside a county courthouse building in Baytown, east of Houston.
"I believe (this person) poses a real threat to my and my family's safety," Greenwood said in an email sent Thursday to the county attorney's office, according to the newspaper. The county attorney's office was handling an administrative matter related to the corruption investigation.
The source told the newspaper that Greenwood's concerns about the corruption case were passed along to law enforcement.
Baytown police Lt. Steve Dorris didn't immediately return phone calls seeking comment Tuesday. Robert Soard, with the Harris County Attorney's Office, declined to comment.
A source close to the investigation told the newspaper Tuesday that after arriving at work, Greenwood was trying to retrieve some items from the passenger side of his county vehicle when the gunman came out from behind the dumpster and shot him.
"This guy just walks up... and pops him two times," the source told the newspaper. "Clearly, this guy was there for one purpose."
Greenwood, who wore a bulletproof vest, was shot once in the chest and a second time in the neck. The source told the newspaper that two shell casings from a 9mm handgun were found at the scene.
Greenwood was able to radio for help, saying, "I have been shot and I'm bleeding out," sources told the Houston Chronicle.
Officers who responded to the shooting found Greenwood standing by his vehicle, holding the wound on his neck and pointing in the direction the gunman fled.
He collapsed at the scene and was taken to a Houston hospital, where he died.
The Baytown Police Department has released surveillance video showing a vehicle investigators suspect was involved in the shooting. In the video, a dark-colored car is seen backing out of a parking space and leaving the parking lot across from the courthouse where Greenwood was shot.
Investigators have said they're seeking a 6-foot-to-6-foot-3 (1.8-to-1.9 meters) white or Hispanic man with short hair and a medium-to-stocky build. The man might have been wearing a dark jacket with sleeve patches.
A reward of up to $65,000 has been offered for information that would lead authorities to arrest and charge someone in the case.
Greenwood, who was a 30-year law enforcement veteran, had also worked with the Harris County District Attorney's Office and with the county's sheriff's office.