Less than 48 hours after President Donald Trump called him up on a stage to express pride in the Houston Police Department, Chief Art Acevedo struggled to explain a scandal in which one of his narcotics agents allegedly lied to get a no-knock warrant for a drug-house raid that left a married couple dead and four officers shot.

"What a job you've done. I'm proud of you," Trump told Acevedo while giving the keynote address on Wednesday at the Major Cities Chiefs Association and Major County Sheriffs of America joint conference in Washington, D.C.

"I like these people," Trump said of the Houston Police Department delegation on hand. "I feel very safe with these people."

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During a news conference in Houston on Friday, Acevedo noted the dramatic contrast between Trump's praise for his department and an investigation into the troubling actions of one veteran narcotics officer.

"Here we are less than 48 hours later talking about one person," said Acevedo, who asked the public not to paint the 5,200 members of his department "in a broad brush" over the actions of a single officer.

That officer, identified in court papers as Gerald Goines, 54, was one of the four drug-team members shot in January when they raided a house where Goines claimed a confidential informant had made two purchases of black tar heroin.

But an affidavit filed in Harris County District Court on Thursday by Houston internal affairs detectives investigating the raid indicates the confidential informant Goines said conducted the drug buys on his instruction claims he never even went to the house.

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"Regardless of whether we had reason or probable cause to engage in an investigation or even get a search warrant, what that affidavit will show you is that, thus far, it appears that there are some material untruths or lies in that affidavit, and that's a problem," Acevedo said.

Killed in the Jan. 28 raid were homeowners Dennis Tuttle, 59, and his 58-year-old wife, Rhogena Nicholas.

Armed with a search warrant, nine narcotics detectives backed up by at least six patrol officers surrounded the home on Harding Street just before 5 p.m.

After Goines, the lead investigator on the case, broke open the front door, a 33-year-old officer armed with a shotgun entered the residence and was immediately attacked by a pit bull, Acevedo said a day after the raid.

He said that the officer being attacked shot and killed the dog.

Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP

One of the suspects, Tuttle, charged from the back of the house firing a .357-caliber Magnum revolver at the officer, hitting him in the shoulder, Acevedo said.

He said Nicholas was shot and killed when she tried to grab the wounded officer's shotgun and that Tuttle was killed by police after shooting three other officers, including Goines, who suffered a bullet wound to the neck and remains in a hospital.

Police recovered two shotguns and three rifles from the residence and seized marijuana and a white powder they believe to be either cocaine or the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, Acevedo said at the time. But officers did not seize any black tar heroin, he said.

In his application for a search warrant, Goines claimed he was outside the house and "observed the confidential informant" go into the house, make the heroin buy and came out and handed him the drugs, according to the internal affairs affidavit.

Goines gave investigators the name of the informant he said made the drug deal, according to the affidavit. But when the informant denied he had bought drugs from the house on the instruction of Goines, investigators confronted Goines, who then gave them another informant's name.

Internal affairs detectives interviewed all of the confidential informants Goines worked with "and all denied making a buy for Goines from the residence located at 7815 Harding Street, and ever purchasing narcotics from Rhogena Nicholas or Dennis Tuttle."

On Friday, Acevedo said he has ordered a full audit of drug investigations by his narcotics unit and a review of other cases Goines has been in charge of.

He said Goines, who has been with the department for 34 years and was previously shot twice in the line of duty, has been relieved of his duties and will likely face serious criminal charges.

"We know that there's already a crime that's been committed," Acevedo said. "It's a serious crime when we prepare a document to go into somebody's home, into the sanctity that is somebody's home, it has to be truthful, it has to be honest, it has to be factual. We know already there's a crime that's been committed. There's high probability there will be a criminal charge."

Acevedo said detectives were first alerted to the alleged drug-dealing at the Harding Street house in a 911 call from a mother concerned her daughter had been involved in drugs at the residence. Police launched an investigation about two weeks before the fatal January raid.

"We weren't there willy nilly," Acevedo said.

As part of the investigation into the drug raid, a second undercover officer was also relieved of his duties, but Acevedo said investigators do not believe he was aware that Goines allegedly concocted information to obtain the no-knock warrant.

"When we're done, I guarantee you we will leave no stone unturned and the truth will come out," Acevedo said.

He added that there are "a lot of angry cops" because of Goines' alleged behavior.

"When you violate that oath of office, you make ... their jobs difficult," he said.</s>And chaos in Houston. Ian bush style attack on police officers investigating a suspected drug case. The officers coming under fire just moments after they showed up. And us Rosie Atlanta's capturing big stage on her cellphone the video shows one officer running from the scene. He shot in the arm and about why it wasn't afford a second officer on the ground. Other officers rushed too easy. An all four officers were shot with two officers taking bullets to the face a fifth suffered a knee injury. All officers rushed to the hospital wine airlifted ease in the fight and fight and stable. But we need to pray for all these officers dozens of officers surrounding the house with the suspects still in sci. Police identified the suspects as 58 year old Regina Nichols who they say was shot and killed when she went to grab one of the wounded officer shotgun. The other suspect 59 year old Dennis Tuttle also killed in the shoot out. Inside the home officers found guns marijuana in a substance believed to be cocaine or fentanyl. The officers who were shot are between 32 to 54 years old. Don you back is ABC news Los Angeles.</s>3 of our officers are currently stable, 2 are still critical please keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers.



Please no names on social media at this time. — Joe Gamaldi (@JoeGamaldi) January 29, 2019

This is it. The house where 5 officers were injured: 4 were shot. You can see bullet holes next to door. Two suspects taken down. Police were here serving a drug warrant. Chief @ArtAcevedo says neighbors tipped them off drugs were being sold here. #abc13 https://t.co/vRdrdjRUfq… pic.twitter.com/X8dZgRoC7J — Courtney Fischer (@CourtneyABC13) January 29, 2019

Four Houston police officers were shot and another suffered a knee injury in southeast Houston while they were serving a narcotics warrant.Life Flight was called to the scene. All the officers have been taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital.Two of the officers, ages 54 and 40, underwent surgery. They are in critical condition. Both were reportedly shot in the neck.The other three injured officers are listed as stable. One of those officers is expected to be discharged from the hospital. None of the officers' names have been released.Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo says narcotics officers, with patrol officers on the scene to provide support, announced themselves at the suspects' home in the 7800 block of Harding at about 4:15 p.m. Monday. Immediately, officers were under fire from one or two suspects inside the home.Houston police confirmed two suspects were killed in the exchange of gunfire.Police said a tip from a neighbor that the suspects were dealing drugs, including black tar heroin, led officers to the house.Gov. Greg Abbott said the shooting highlights the " service and sacrifice our brave men and women in law enforcement make every day to keep us safe ."</s>HOUSTON - KPRC2 is learning more about the five officers injured in Monday's shootout with two suspects.

Houston police have not released the names of the officers who were wounded, but HPD chief Art Acevedo did provide new details about them.

Here's what we know:

A 50-year-old sergeant was shot in the face. He is a 25-year veteran of the Houston Police Department. Acevedo said he will hopefully be released sometime this week.

A 54-year-old senior officer is a case agent. He is a 32-year veteran of HPD. He was shot in the line of duty two other times -- in 1992 and 1997. Acevedo said after he saw fellow officers come under fire, he made entry. Acevedo said he passed a note to them that said, "I had to get in there.

"He's a big teddy bear. A strong ox. Tough as nails. The only thing bigger than his body in teams of his stature is his courage," Acevedo said of him.

A 33-year-old officer was shot in the shoulder. The 10-year veteran was released from the hospital Monday night.

Another officer was shot, but Acevedo didn't want to discuss his condition, saying he's fighting, but stable.

A 50-year-old sergeant suffered a knee injury, but was not shot. He underwent surgery. Acevedo said he will be released from the hospital this week. He is a 27-year veteran of the force.

Acevedo said, "We need the community prayers for him and his family, and for all these officers, including the ones that weren't shot. If you can imagine, the guilt that gets in, the second-guessing. 'Why wasn't it me?' All these officers need prayers."

According to Acevedo, there were several other officers who were part of the "initial stack" of the team executing the search warrant. None of them were shot, Acevedo said.

A 30-year-old officer who is a nine-year veteran of the department.

A 37-year-old officer who is an eight-year veteran.

A 36-year-old officer who is an 11-year veteran.

All four of them have been checked out and released.

Acevedo could not say which officers fired their weapons at the suspects.

All of the officers involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.

Acevedo said a peer support team and psychologists were made available to the officers.

According to Acevedo, the officers made entry to a house in the 7800 block of Harding in the Gloverdale neighborhood in southeast Houston around 5 p.m. Monday to serve a search warrant after a tip from a neighbor led to a narcotics investigation.

Police said the officers were immediately met with gunfire and got into a shootout with the suspects.

Dennis Tuttle, 58, and Rhogena Nicholas, 58, were both killed in the shootout.
Police shoot and kill two homeowners after invading their house. 5 officers were injured in a substantial shootout in Harris County. Reports later indicated one of the officers lied that drugs were in the house.