Houston police are investigating the fatal shooting of a suspect by a Harris County Sheriff’s deputy at 6200 Hermann Park Drive about 3:15 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 29).
The suspect, Albert Benjamin Simon, was pronounced deceased at Ben Taub General Hospital.
The deputy who discharged his weapon was not injured in the incident.
HPD Special Investigations Unit Sergeant H. Chavez and Officers D. Morrison and N. Arellano reported:
Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputies and members of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force were actively searching for suspect Albert Benjamin Simon for the murder of Carolee Taylor in Harris County last week.
The deputies had the murder warrant for Simon and located him in Hermann Park at the above address, near the reflection pool. As the deputies approached Simon to arrest him, one of the deputies identified himself as law enforcement and gave Simon verbal commands to get on the ground and surrender. Simon did not comply with the commands. Instead, Simon grabbed a small black shoulder bag he had next to him while sitting on a bench, and he told the deputy something to the effect of; “you’re going to have to shoot me.”
Simon then got up from the bench and turned away from the deputy and began moving away from him to an area populated with civilians. Simon started reaching towards the bag and the deputy, fearing that Simon was reaching for a gun, discharged his duty weapon at him twice, striking Simon. HFD paramedics transported Simon to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
The shoulder bag Simon had in his possession had a semi-automatic weapon inside and was fully loaded.
As is customary in officer-involved shooting incidents in the city limits, the incident is being investigated by the HPD Special Investigations Unit and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
JFC/VHS 12-30-19
Inc #171028019