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HPD: Homeless man shot by officers had a pellet gun

HPD said officers thought the man was armed with a semi-automatic weapon, but it turned out to be a pellet gun. "When somebody starts coming up with a gun, we can't wait until they shoot us, or shoot at us, before we discharge," Acevedo said.

HOUSTON – A homeless man who was shot by HPD officers Friday morning was armed with a pellet gun -- not a semi-automatic gun as officers first thought.

Police say the man refused to drop his weapon during a standoff along Greens Bayou so the SWAT team was called in.

"The suspect came up again with the gun and pointed it toward the officers, they discharged several rounds," HPD Chief Art Acevedo said. "When somebody starts coming up with a gun, we can’t wait until they shoot us, or shoot at us, before we discharge."

The man was shot just above his knee and expected to survive.

Suspect on bank of Greens Bayou

Neighbors say they were familiar with the homeless man who lived under the bridge at Greens Bayou and say they had never seen him with a weapon.

“I got scared,” said Carlos Gutierrez, a long-time resident of the neighboring apartment complex. "I don’t know what to do anymore, cops shooting people. I’m just scared.”

The man was alert as he was taken away by ambulance for treatment, police say.

He was transported to Hermann Memorial Hospital in The Woodlands.

The man may have mental issues and was wearing several layers of clothing, according to Chief Acevedo.

Four officers have been put on administrative leave after firing their weapons. This is customary procedure pending the outcome of an investigation in an officer-involved shooting.

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