Trending

1 officer killed, 1 injured while executing warrant in Houston; suspect dead

HOUSTON — A suspect wanted on a narcotics warrant opened fire on officers Monday morning in Harris County, killing one and injuring another before police returned fire and killed him, authorities said.

>> Read more trending news

Houston Senior Police Officer William “Bill” Jeffrey, a 30-year veteran of the department, died after being shot multiple times, Mayor Sylvester Turner and police Chief Troy Finner said. Sgt. Michael Vance was also injured, although he is expected to survive.

Update 3:25 p.m. EDT Sept. 20: Police released a photo Monday afternoon of slain Senior Police Officer William “Bill” Jeffrey, 54.

Authorities said Sgt. Michael Vance, 49, remained in stable condition hours after the Monday morning shooting. He joined the Houston Police Department in June 1998 and has been a member of the department’s major operations division since 2019.

Update 1:10 p.m. EDT Sept. 20: Houston police Chief Troy Finner said officers were speaking Monday morning with a woman when a man wanted on a narcotics warrant opened fire, striking two police officers, one of which later died of his injuries.

“What I want to touch on is some of the things that our officers go through,” Finner said at a news conference. “You’ve got a suspect with a female girlfriend with small kids in that apartment complex, and he still fired on our officers.”

Police Officer William “Bill” Jeffrey and Sgt. Michael Vance were shot several times. Jeffrey died of his injuries while Vance is expected to survive.

The chief said officers returned fire, killing the suspect. Finner identified him as a 31-year-old man, but declined to release his name immediately after the shooting.

“I want to respect his family and make sure we give proper notification to him,” he said.

The shooting happened in unincorporated Harris County. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting.

Update 12:55 p.m. EDT Sept. 20: Houston police Chief Troy Finner said Monday that he knew slain Officer William “Bill” Jeffrey for his entire career.

He remembered Jeffrey as “a great man,” “a great officer” and “a great family man.”

The chief added that Jeffrey and his wife, who retired last year from the Houston Police Department, were in the process of building their dream home. The couple had one child.

Update 12:10 p.m. EDT Sept. 20: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner identified the officer slain Monday morning as Officer William Jeffrey, a longtime officer with the Houston Police Department.

“Come December would have been 30, 31 years,” Turner said at a news conference. “Unfortunately, he did not survive the shooting.”

The mayor added that Jeffrey’s wife was a police officer who retired in December 2020.

“One thing she made very clear to me this morning is that... the City of Houston lost the very best. The very best,” he said.

“This has been a tragic day today. It is another reminder that police work is inherently dangerous, and you never know -- police officers never know what they’re going to face when they leave their homes during the course of their duty. It is inherently dangerous.”

The mayor also identified Sgt. Michael Vance as the officer injured in Monday’s shooting.

“He’s in surgery, but his condition appears to be fairly stable,” Turner said.

The major offender unit officers were shot multiple times around 7:30 a.m. Monday while serving a narcotics arrest warrant.

Update 11:58 a.m. EDT Sept. 20: Authorities confirmed at a news conference that one Houston police officer died and a second was injured Monday while serving a warrant in Harris County.

Officials said the officers were serving a high-level felony warrant related to narcotics when they were shot.

Original report: The incident happened at The Life at Timber Ridge, an apartment complex in the 5300 block of Aeropark Drive, according to Houston police. The two injured officers were taken to Memorial Herman – Texas Medical Center for treatment of their injuries. Their conditions were not immediately known.

City officials confirmed that the officers who were shot are members of the Houston Police Department. The shooting happened in unincorporated Harris County, and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, Gonzalez said.

Officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also at the scene Monday.