A suspect was in custody after reportedly shooting three police officers, carjacking a driver and barricading himself inside a home on Thursday, Houston police said.
The suspect is believed to have opened fire with what Houston Police Chief Troy Finner described at a news conference as a “fully automatic” weapon.
He has been identified as Roland Caballero, 31, of Houston, two senior law enforcement officials tell NBC News.
The three wounded officers were in stable condition Thursday night and were expected to recover, Finner said.
The incident began shortly before 3 p.m. when police responded to a family disturbance, he said.
The suspect fired at officers, then fled in a vehicle. The officers, who weren’t injured, returned fire. The suspect crashed after a pursuit and opened fire again, this time striking three officers, Finner said.
He then carjacked a white Mercedes-Benz at gunpoint and drove to a home in a residential area northeast of downtown Houston, where he barricaded himself for several hours, Finner said.
Shortly before 8 p.m., police said the suspect was in custody. He walked out of the house with his hands up, Finner said.
The suspect had a gunshot wound to the neck and was taken to the hospital, Finner said. It was unclear whether his injury was from the exchange of gunfire with police.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters that one of the officers was shot in the foot; another was struck in the leg; the third was hit in the arm.
Police identified the three northeast patrol officers as Officer N. Gadson, 35, with four years of service; Officer D. Hayden, 32, with three years of service; and Officer A. Alvarez, 28, with two years of service.
“… They’re going to be all right, and I’m very grateful for that,” Finner said.
The person who was carjacked was physically OK, he said.
NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston reported that loud bangs could be heard in the neighborhood after police officers arrived at the home where the man was barricaded. A witness told the station he heard what he described as 40 gunshots.
Tactical officers then surrounded the home, the station reported. Live video showed a large law enforcement presence in the area and trucks carrying heavy equipment and armored vehicles.
An officer could be heard telling the suspect through a megaphone that his girlfriend was concerned about him, the station reported.
At a news conference earlier Thursday, officials called on residents to help stem a recent surge in gun violence.
“These are inherently dangerous times — that was demonstrated again today,” Turner said, adding: “There are lot of guns on the street. Quite frankly there are just too many on the street and in the hands of people who will use them in a second.”
On Sunday, Harris County Cpl. Charles Galloway was fatally shot in what authorities described as a “brutal attack.” Houston police officials announced an arrest in the case hours before Thursday’s shooting.
Tom Winter and Jonathan Dienst contributed.