HOUSTON — From the balcony of her southeast Houston apartment unit, Risha Johnson captured and posted a series of videos to Snapchat this morning.
Johnson, who’s lived at an apartment complex off Holly Hall Road and El Rio for nearly two years, says she first saw two Houston Police Department vehicles roll into the parking lot of her complex around 8 a.m.
Johnson didn’t know at the time, but Sgt. Harold Preston, Officer Courtney Waller and an Officer Taylor (Houston Police did not immediately share his first name) were responding to a call about a domestic disturbance. A woman was attempting to move out of the apartment she shared with her estranged husband, Elmer Manzano.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said at a press conference today that the trio of police officers talked to the woman and her 14-year old son in the parking lot of the apartment complex for about an hour. Acevedo says just before 9:30 a.m. the teen used his set of keys to unlock the apartment door.
The teen immediately saw Manzano with a gun and alerted police. Second later, police say Manzano began shooting. The 14-year old was shot in his arm. Officer Waller was shot in his arm and Sgt. Preston was shot multiple times in the head and once in the shoulder.
“The gunshots were big,” said Johnson. “And I heard about six.”
As Manzano barricaded himself in his apartment, Johnson watched her neighbor immediately rush in to help Waller.
“One of my neighbors, Ross, helped out an injured officer. It was really a commotion. Really scary, actually.”
The unidentified neighbor pulled Waller away from Manzano’s apartment and toward an entrance to the apartment complex where first responders were able to help him and rush him to a hospital.
Houston police confirm the SWAT team rushed in, surrounded the apartment unit and pulled Sgt. Preston away from Manzano’s front door.
“They told us actually to go inside because it was escalating,” said Johnson of HPD SWAT officers.
About an hour later, just before 10:30 a.m., Manzano surrendered to police.
“I’m glad that he surrendered,” said Johnson. “So, I’m just thankful HPD responded as quickly as they did. And that they were able to get to her and save her life.”
Manzano was shot in the stomach during the exchange of gunfire. He’s recovering at a Houston hospital.
Police say an elderly woman was with him inside the apartment during the standoff. Police say she walked out of the home. KHOU 11 News believes she was not physically harmed.