A homeowner shot and killed a man described as a transient during a confrontation, police report. The investigation will decide potential charges.
HOUSTON — An investigation is underway after police say a homeowner shot a man they described as homeless during a confrontation in a northeast Houston neighborhood Wednesday night.
The shooting happened around 8 p.m. Wednesday along Tidwell Road near Robins Landing Way, where officers were initially responding to a call about a suspicious person. Officers later found an adult man dead in a roadside ditch, according to Houston police.
The man who was killed appeared to be in his 30s, though his exact age was not immediately known, said Houston Police Lt. Willkens.
Police said the shooter is a homeowner who lives in a nearby neighborhood across a wooded area and has been cooperating with investigators.
Investigators said residents in the newly built neighborhood had reported ongoing concerns about the man, who they said had repeatedly entered backyards and been found inside homes under construction.
According to Willkens, the homeowner encountered the man in his backyard earlier in the evening. A witness also reported seeing the man near the property. The homeowner later confronted him again near a vacant home and told him to leave the neighborhood.
Police said the man left but later attempted to return by walking through a wooded area that connects to Tidwell Road. The homeowner confronted him a second time near the roadside.
“At that point, the contact turned physical,” Willkens said. “The individual that did the shooting is saying that the transient male started to attack him.”
During the struggle, the homeowner pulled out a pistol and fired, police said. The man ran from the scene before collapsing in a ditch nearby, where officers later found him dead.
The homeowner told officers he was unsure whether he had hit the man when he opened fire and began searching the area after the confrontation.
“He’s being forthright about everything and is cooperating with us,” Willkens said.
Homicide detectives are investigating the case and will present their findings to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, which will determine whether any charges will be filed.
Authorities have not yet released the identity of the man who was killed.
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