HOUSTON, Texas — Two Harris County Constable Precinct 4 deputies were injured, with one remaining hospitalized for surgery, after being ambushed by a gunman at an apartment complex, law enforcement officials confirmed.
The incident began at approximately 10:00 p.m. when Deputy Dante Zepeda and several other Precinct 4 deputies responded to emergency calls regarding a male suspect actively discharging a firearm throughout an apartment complex. Upon their arrival, deputies were immediately ambushed as the suspect opened fire on them. Multiple deputies returned fire, forcing the gunman to retreat and barricade himself inside an apartment unit.
During the exchange, it was determined that Deputy Zepeda and a second deputy were struck by projectiles from what investigators later identified as a shotgun. Deputy Zepeda sustained wounds to his hip and upper arm. Fellow deputies immediately loaded Zepeda into a patrol vehicle and ground-transported him to Houston Northeast Hospital. After being stabilized, he was transferred to the surgical trauma center at Memorial Hermann Hospital downtown for scheduled surgeries.
The second wounded deputy managed to remain at the scene, maintaining the perimeter and continuing the tactical response until SWAT units arrived. That deputy was later treated for injuries and officially released. A police K-9 unit was deployed during the standoff, resulting in the suspect being bitten and subsequently taken into custody.
The suspect, whose identity has not yet been publicly released, remains hospitalized under guard for treatment of the K-9 bite wounds. The District Attorney’s Office has accepted charges of Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer against the suspect, pending his medical release. The investigation into the shooting is being led by local authorities.