Police say a driver with a felony warrant resisted arrest before an officer shot him early Sunday in northeast Houston.
HOUSTON, TX — A Houston police officer shot a man during a traffic stop around 1:40 a.m. Sunday on Tidwell Road near Hirsch Road after a struggle with officers who learned the driver had an outstanding felony warrant, the department said.
Police leaders said the stop began as a routine traffic violation but escalated when officers tried to arrest the driver. The man’s name was not released. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Two adult passengers in the vehicle were not injured, according to police. The Houston Police Department’s Homicide Division, Internal Affairs and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office opened parallel reviews, a standard process after officer-involved shootings. Officials said body-worn camera video will be released under department policy when investigative steps allow. The officers involved were not injured.
Assistant Chief Christy Smith said officers pulled the car over in the 4700 block of Tidwell Road in the Eastex/Jensen area. After learning of the felony warrant, officers attempted to handcuff the driver, and “the individual became uncooperative and began to struggle,” Smith said. One officer deployed a Taser, but the struggle continued. During the encounter, another officer fired his service weapon, striking the driver, Smith said. It was not immediately clear whether the officer who used the Taser was the same officer who fired the gun. Marked patrol units blocked lanes while detectives processed the scene before sunrise.
Officials did not say how many shots were fired, what prompted the use of deadly force beyond the struggle, or whether a weapon was recovered from the driver. Investigators planned to review dash camera and body-worn camera footage and to interview the officers, the two passengers, and nearby residents. The number of officers on scene at the moment of the shooting was not provided early Sunday. Police said the District Attorney’s Office responded to the location as part of its independent review. The officers, whose names and years of service were not released, will be placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigations, which is routine.
The shooting occurred less than half a day before a separate, fatal officer-involved shooting reported Sunday afternoon in Kashmere Gardens, underscoring a tense weekend for the department. In the overnight case, the location—Tidwell near Hirsch and Lavender Street—sits on a busy east–west corridor lined with small businesses and houses, where residents often wake to sirens from nearby calls. HPD policy calls for release of critical incident video within 30 days when doing so will not compromise active inquiries. In recent years, the department has emphasized early briefings at scenes by assistant chiefs to outline initial facts and acknowledge unknowns while more evidence is gathered.
Detectives said they would seek surveillance video from businesses along Tidwell and examine physical evidence collected at the scene, including spent casings and the Taser cartridge, to map the sequence of events. Investigators will check local and state records to confirm the outstanding felony warrant and identify which agency issued it. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences was not involved in the overnight case as of Sunday morning because the man survived and remained hospitalized. HPD’s Force Review Board will later evaluate whether the officer’s actions aligned with policy after the criminal and administrative probes conclude. Any prosecutorial decision, including potential presentation to a grand jury, would occur after the District Attorney’s review.
Traffic along Tidwell reopened before dawn as detectives wrapped evidence markers and loaded equipment. A few residents stepped onto porches to watch investigators work; some recorded on phones as cruisers idled under flashing lights. “We want to provide accurate information as we get it,” Smith said during a brief roadside update, adding that more details would follow once witnesses were interviewed and video pulled. No timeline was given for naming the officers or the wounded driver. Police did not identify the make or model of the vehicle that was stopped.
As of Sunday evening, the man remained in critical condition, police said. Investigators planned additional interviews and evidence reviews early this week. The next public milestone is the expected release of body-camera footage within 30 days, barring conflicts with the active investigation.
Author note: Last updated January 11, 2026.