Houston police sergeant fatally shot responding to domestic violence call; suspect in custody
A Houston police officer was shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence situation on Saturday afternoon.
The officer, identified at Sgt. Christopher Brewster, 32, was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The shooting took place after a woman called 911 to say her boyfriend, who was armed with two guns, was assaulting her, according to Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo. Brewster responded to the home, but the couple was no longer there. He continued searching for them, finding them in an alley nearby and exited his vehicle. As he was walking towards the female, she pointed in the direction of the suspect, who then immediately fired at Brewster, police said.
Despite being shot multiple times and mortally wounded, Brewster managed to radio the suspect's location and description, leading to his arrest by responding officers.
Brewster was pronounced dead at about 6:30 p.m. local time, less than an hour after responding to the scene. Acevedo initially said Brewster was not wearing a bulletproof vest, but later updated that he was wearing it.
"This is a tough evening," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said at a press conference outside the hospital Saturday night. "Every single day our police officers show up, they come to work ... not knowing what they are gonna face. I want to be very mindful of the service Chris gave to the city."
The alleged shooter was identified by police as Arturo Solis, 25. He has been charged with capital murder of a police officer.
Acevedo said Solis has a criminal history, including assault causing bodily injury of a family member in 2015. A semi-automatic pistol was recovered in the possession of Solis when he was taken into custody. A second weapon allegedly belonging to Solis was also later found.
In addition to the assault charge, to which he pleaded guilty, Solis has been convicted of criminal mischief and harassment and pleaded guilty to evading arrest and burglary of a vehicle -- all since 2014.
The woman who called police was uninjured, police said.
Brewster had served with Houston police since 2010 and was promoted to sergeant just nine months ago. He is survived by his wife, parents and a brother.
"In the days to come, in the years to come, we will honor his service to the city of Houston," Turner said.
The incident was caught on body-worn camera, Acevedo said.
He is the 44th officer to be fatally shot this year, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks information on police line-of-duty deaths.
He's the 13th law enforcement officer to be killed in the line of duty in Texas this year -- the most of any state.
He is the first Houston Police Department member to die in the line of duty since Sgt. Steve Albert Perez drowned while working during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. Two Harris County sheriff's deputies -- which includes the city of Houston -- died this year: Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who was shot and killed, and Omar Diaz, who died of a medical emergency while responding to a stabbing incident.
