Man in high-speed chase shot dead by police outside Houston elementary school
News // Houston
Dale Lezon, Dylan Baddour, Houston Chronicle
April 15, 2015 Updated: April 15, 2015 11:38 p.m.
The man in the chase was identified as Frank "Trey" Shephard, a 41-year-old barber and father of three.
Chris ShephardShow MoreShow Less
3of21Shephard's stepfather H.B. Runnels is overcome with grief at the news of a family member's fatal shooting by Houston Police following a high speed chase in northeast Houston on Wednesday, April 15, 2015.
4of21A relative is taken by a stretcher after being overcome with grief at the news of a family member's fatal shooting by Houston Police following a high speed chase in northeast Houston on Wednesday, April 15, 2015.
5of21A high speed police chase in northeast Houston on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 ends in a crash and Houston police firing upon the suspect.Cody Duty / Houston ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
A high speed police chase in northeast Houston on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 ends in a crash and Houston police firing upon the suspect.
9of21Houston Police work the scene of an officer-involved shooting that followed a high-speed chase through northeast Houston on April 15, 2015.Cody Duty , Houston ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
10of21Houston Police work the scene of an officer-involved shooting that followed a high-speed chase through northeast Houston on April 15, 2015.Cody Duty | Houston ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
11of21A screen shot taken during a live streaming of a police chase in Northeast Harris County from ABC13.com Show MoreShow Less
Police officers fatally shot a man who led them on a chase Wednesday morning in northeast Harris County.
According to a Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman, the chase began about 10:40 a.m. in the Crosstimbers area of US-59. Houston Police tried to pull over the driver of a blue Chrysler 300 due to "suspicious activitiy," including two unsafe lane changes. As they approached the car, the driver fled.
A chase ensued through northeast Houston along Beltway 8 before the driver exited at Wallisville Road and eventually ran through an intersection at Castlegory Road, striking two vehicles.
The driver got out of the car and the officers told him to raise his hands, officials said. He then appeared to reach back inside the vehicle, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. That's when it appears, deputies said, that two police officers opened fire on him, firing 10-12 rounds. The man died at the scene.
During the chase, the man called 911 dispatchers and told him that he had a child in his car and would harm the child if police pursued him. No child was present in the car, however. No weapon was found in the car.
"This was a very dangerous situation that the HPD had to deal with," Dep. Thomas Gilliland said.
The man was identified as Frank "Trey" Shephard, a 41-year-old barber and father of three, his uncle said.
"I'm looking at it on TV saying 'why would you run from the law?' Not knowing it was my nephew," said Chris Shephard. "My sister, his mom , called and told me that they shot and killed him."
Shephard's mother stood at the crime scene perimeter with her hands clasped over her mouth and her wide eyes full of tears, repeating "oh my God."
The father arrived, spoke briefly with a police official and fell to his knees, crying, whimpering "oh my boy." Then he walked to his wife, standing at the yellow tape, kissed her and embraced her.
Shephard had an outstanding arrest warrant, his uncle said. In September 2013 he was accused of assault of a family member, accused striking a woman he was dating. His criminal background also includes charges of making a terroristic threat and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
At least 25 police vehicles have blocked off the intersection of Castlegory Road and Wallisville Road, just between James Havard Elementary School and North Shore Middle School, where the driver was shot dead. Authorities have identified the officers who shot him as R. Gonzalez and L. Ingle. Each has been with the department for six years.
Shephard's body lay covered in white plastic next to the driver's side of the car he was driving. The car was riddled with bullet holes.
Dozens of bystanders flocked out from a nearby Walgreens and Wendel D. Ley Family YMCA to watch the scene unfold.
Torrey Smith, 16, was at his house nearby when he heard a helicopter and cars speeding by.
"I saw the dude lying on the ground," he said. "You could see the bullet holes in the window and him laying on the other side."
The female driver of the car initially hit by the suspect has been transported to Northeast Hospital and is in good condition, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. An elderly man a second vehicle has been treated and released. An elderly female passenger has been transported to a local hospital for minor injuries.
Harvard Elementary and North Shore Middle schools near where the chase ended went into lockdown mode for about 30 minutes as the chase approached the area, said Jonathan Frey, spokesman for the Galena Park Independent School District. The doors were locked, and no one was allowed to enter or leave the campuses.
"The primary focus was, let's make sure everyone is safe," Frey said. "It didn't take too long to ascertain that. There was nobody fleeing the scene."
Frey said he noticed the chase was nearby from television footage that showed a local dollar store. The district's police chief also headed to the scene.
Jose Andrade, 66, was inside North Shore Middle School shopping for his daughter's school ring when school officials advised parents that the school was on lockdown.
"They didn't tell us what happened in the street, they just told us we couldn't leave," he said.
About 20 minutes later he was allowed to leave, he said.
WATCH LIVE: Houston Police involved in chase on Beltway 8. pic.twitter.com/NYjSiyHIZX
— MyFoxHouston (@MyFoxHouston) April 15, 2015
Chase is over at Wallisville east. #KPRC2 #hounews Watch live on http://t.co/JFhYYSazYj. pic.twitter.com/juS4V6Uhvr
— KPRC 2 Houston (@KPRC2) April 15, 2015
Suspect in chase causes crash in NE Harris County, then shootout with police http://t.co/DYiD3IMJth pic.twitter.com/L2C4XbMnvi
— Houston News (@abc13houston) April 15, 2015
#BREAKING Police chase ends in shooting after crash. pic.twitter.com/rgrHZwjsVw
WATCH LIVE: Police chase going on right now in northeast Harris County. #HouNews #KPRC2 http://t.co/H2DbWQbgA5 pic.twitter.com/Ogp6L8sa2L
Definitely just watched Houston Police shoot someone after a car chase that ended in a wreck... Crazy way to start the day off?!?!
— Seth Kennedy (@SethKennedy1) April 15, 2015
More details will be reported as the story develops.
Chrnicle reporters Ericka Mellon, Dylan Baddour and St. John Barned-Smith contributed to this report.
Dale Lezon
Dale has worked at the Houston Chronicle as a reporter since 2000, when he moved to Houston from New Mexico. As a General Assignment reporter, he has covered criminal and civil trials, City Hall matters, environmental issues and many other news stories. He also has written human-interest features. Among his stories are breaking news reports from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and from Galveston during Hurricane Ike. He also reported from east Texas during the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster. Currently, he handles breaking news, including homicides, fires and other fast-breaking stories.
Dylan Baddour
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Dylan Baddour is a business reporter for the Houston Chronicle.