TX Police Officers Remain Hospitalized

Four Houston police officers remained hospitalized Tuesday afternoon, a day after a shooting that injured five officers and and left two suspects dead.

The shooting occurred around 5 p.m. Monday in the 7800 block of Harding Street in southeastern Houston.

Police Chief Art Acevedo said that about a dozen narcotics officers were serving a search warrant, backed up by a half-dozen patrol officers.

As police breached the front door, a pit bull lunged at them and an officer shot the dog. A man in the home then began shooting at police, and a number of officers returned fire.

According to Acevedo, 59-year-old Dennis Tuttle and 58-year-old Rhogena Nicholas were killed after they attacked police. The dog also was killed.

Acevedo said that Nicholas was shot trying to take a weapon away from a wounded officer who had fallen on the couch inside the home, which belonged to Tuttle. 

Four officers were struck, and a fifth suffered a serious knee injury, police said.

Two of the officers were shot in the neck and remained in serious condition Tuesday. One of them, the 54-year-old leader of the team, had been shot multiple times in a 32-year-career, Acevedo said. The other, a 40-year-old, has been with the department nine years.

"I can tell you he's in a fight. He's stable, but he needs prayers," Acevedo said of one of the officers.

A 50-year-old officer who has been with the department 25 years was shot in the face and was in good condition Tuesday. That officer may be released later Tuesday, police said. The officer with the knee injury, a 50-year-old who is a 27-year veteran of the force, also was in good condition and expected to remain in the hospital.

A fifth officer, 33 years old and a 10-year veteran of the department, was struck in the shoulder and released Monday night.

The injured officers' names were not released, nor were the names of four other officers who fired their weapons.

"One of the calls you never want to get as chief is you've had officers shot," Acevedo said Monday evening, just hours after the shooting.

Mayor Sylvester Turner praised the officers and commended the paramedics and firefighters who helped rush them to safety.

"This has been a tough day for our city, but I certainly want to encourage all Houstonians to pray for all of our police officers" and their families, Turner said.

Shortly after the shootings, multiple helicopters landed in a nearby parking lot to transport the wounded to hospitals, and street traffic was blocked to clear a path for ambulances. Two officers were taken to Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center by helicopter and three by ambulance.

Acevedo described the scene as "fluid" more than an hour after the gunbattle as authorities continued to investigate. A several-block radius around the scene remained blocked off, and police advised residents to avoid the area.

SWAT officers used a pair of robots to search the home and make sure police and residents were no longer in danger.

Just before 7:30 p.m., police said the area was secure and that residents could return to their homes.

Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement that authorities would bring "swift justice" to the people involved in the shooting.

"This evening's horrific attack on police officers is a solemn reminder of the service and sacrifice our brave men and woman in law enforcement make every day to keep us safe."

Attorney General Ken Paxton offered the "thoughts and prayers of countless Texans" to the officers, their families and the Police Department.

"I am deeply troubled to learn that five Houston police officers have been wounded in the line of duty this evening," he said in a written statement. "May this tragic event serve as a reminder of the courage with which law enforcement officials serve each day."

Officers who fired their weapons remained at the scene of the shooting and were debriefed, Acevedo said.

Special agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to assist Houston police, and Harris County deputies were helping secure the area.

Staff writer Claire Z. Cardona contributed to this report.

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