OAK RIDGE NORTH, Texas — A man suspected of several robberies in southeast Texas was fatally shot Monday night by officers from a joint task force after they saw him robbing a liquor store, authorities said.
The man, whose name was not immediately released, fled from officers who had been watching him before they saw him rob the Oak Ridge North liquor store at gunpoint, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon.
“Let’s not over complicate things here, something very simple happened, a bad guy came into our community and robbed one of our businesses,” Ligon said in the city about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Houston.
The officers then attempted to arrest the man, but he fled on foot into the strip mall where the liquor store is located.
“As the suspect comes around the corner, he is brandishing a weapon,” Ligon said. “The officers, fearing for their safety, released their weapons, the suspect dies.”
Ligon said a report on the shooting will be presented to a grand jury to determine whether the officers acted appropriately.
Authorities did not say whether the man opened fire or how many times the officers — four Houston police officers, a Harris County sheriff’s deputy and a Texas police officer — fired their weapons.
None of the officers were injured and all are on paid leave pending the investigation into the shooting.