GALVESTON, Texas – One man is dead after being shot during an officer-involved shooting in Galveston overnight.
According to the Galveston Police Department, it happened 3 a.m. during a traffic stop in the 5300 block of 53rd Street near Avenue L.
Galveston police officials said an 18-year-old male suspect was shot during the incident. He was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
His identify has not been released at this time.
Nineteen-year-old Maryanne Luna says she was a witness to the shooting, and was sitting the passenger seat of her boyfriend’s car when the deadly incident unfolded.
Luna said the two had just had a late-night meal, and her boyfriend was dropping her off at her house when they got pulled over.
She said seconds later, he told her this.
“He said I gotta go, I gotta go, and that’s when he ran with the gun,” Luna said.
Luna said her boyfriend did have a gun in his hand as he bolted out of the car and ran towards a grassy field.
“I heard the cop say stop, stop, stop, and that’s when I heard five or four shots,” she said.
But Luna claims her boyfriend never pointed the gun at the officer, and she doesn’t know why he ran.
“He was scared, that’s all I’ve got to say, he was scared,” said Luna.
At this time, police aren’t saying what led up to the shooting or why. But, they say a weapon was found at the scene.
Luna said she was briefly detained for questioning. Hours later, she found out of the sad news that her boyfriend of three years had died at the hospital.
He was from Galveston.
“He was a good kid, he had a lot of homeboys, he was good,” she said.
Police said the officer involved wasn’t hurt, but has since been placed on administrative leave.
At this time, they are not releasing any names including the officers and the man who was shot.
The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office will be leading the ongoing investigation.