Off-duty Harris County deputy shoots, kills man in Atascocita, sheriff says

Man shot to death by off-duty deputy in Atascocita

The mother of a 27-year-old man who was shot and killed by an off-duty Harris County deputy says he was suffering mental problems and believes the system failed him.

ATASCOCITA, Texas - Investigations are underway after an off-duty Harris County deputy allegedly shot and killed a man outside his Atascocita home on Friday.

Harris County: Man shot by off-duty deputy

Deputy-involved shooting scene on Treewood Drive in Atascocita, Texas. (Photo credit: Mark Herman, Harris County Precinct 4 Constable)

What we know:

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says the shooting happened in the 5300 block of Treewood Drive, near West Lake Houston Parkway and Upper Lake Drive. He said an off-duty officer "discharged his firearm" and struck a man, and the man was taken to a hospital.

According to Major Ben Katrib, the off-duty deputy called 911 at about 2:45 p.m. on Friday. Allegedly, he said he had someone held at gunpoint. 
Major Katrib said the off-duty deputy was heard giving verbal commands to the person before firing multiple shots. 

First responders came to the scene and provided first aid to the man who had been shot, but the man was later pronounced deceased at a hospital.

Deadly shooting involving off-duty Harris County deputy | Full police report

An off-duty Harris County deputy allegedly shot and killed a man who tried to get in his vehicle in Atascocita. Harris County Sheriff's Office Major Ben Katrib gave information at the scene.

Allegedly, the off-duty deputy had just placed his child in a carseat in his vehicle when another man tried to get into the vehicle. Authorities don't believe the men knew each other before this incident.

The deputy gave multiple commands to the man, but he reportedly ignored the commands and opened the passenger side door of the vehicle.

The off-duty deputy then opened fire, striking the other man multiple times.

Officials say the deputy and his child are OK.

What we don't know:

The off-duty deputy's identity has not been released.

Authorities are not aware whether the deceased man had a weapon, or how many times he was shot.

Family identifies man killed

What they're saying:

The man shot to death by the off-duty HCSO deputy is 27-year-old Darrius Williams.

His mother, Tieneeshia Williams, says he suffered from mental illness and was released from jail Thursday night.

"Last night they picked him up for, you know, walking into oncoming traffic and ran his name. So he had a warrant for failure to appear from the last episode," his mother said. "And the officer called me when she was there with him on the scene and asked me a lot of questions, and I said, ma’am, why don't you just take him to the psychiatric ward? He's walking into traffic. She said, oh no, we're going to deal with this warrant, he’s going to jail."

Lorretta Ray, a family friend, says she has a lot of questions.

"They say they have Ring cam video. That's all we've been told," she said.

Investigations underway

What's next:

Agencies under the Sheriff's Office and the Harris County District Attorney's Office have opened separate investigations into this incident. When they're finished, the District Attorney's Office will present the findings to a grand jury to determine whether charges will be filed.