Suspect dies after gun accidentally discharges during struggle with deputy

HOUSTON—An alleged burglary suspect struggling with a Harris County deputy for the lawman’s weapon was killed about 11 a.m. Monday after the gun accidentally discharged during the fight.

According to a news release from the Harris County Sheriff’s Department, a woman was home with her toddler son in the 18200 block of Linden Forest Lane in west Harris County when she heard someone break into the back door. The woman ran out the front door to a neighbor’s house and called police.

Deputy D. Warren, the first officer on the scene, surprised three suspects inside the home. While two of the suspects fled on foot — one after jumping out a second story window — Warren chased the third suspect out the back door. As the two men struggled over Warren’s gun in the backyard, the gun discharged twice. One of the shots hit the suspect, who was then taken to North Cypress Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The man’s identity had not yet been determined, according to the news release.

Warren, a field training officer assigned to HCSO District 4 and a deputy since 1987, was shaken, but he assured Sheriff Adrian Garcia he was not physically injured. The woman and her young son escaped unharmed as well.

Late Monday, investigators were still searching for the two suspects who got away.