HPD officer found dead inside city car

A veteran Houston police officer was found dead in a city-owned car in the 16000 block of Westheimer on Wednesday. A veteran Houston police officer was found dead in a city-owned car in the 16000 block of Westheimer on Wednesday. Photo: Mike Glenn, Chronicle Photo: Mike Glenn, Chronicle Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close HPD officer found dead inside city car 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

A Houston police officer found dead Wednesday in a car at George Bush Park in west Houston worked at the same substation as an officer killed earlier this week when he was struck by a speeding chase suspect.

The veteran HPD officer, identified on Thursday as Jason E. Angeli, was spotted by a passerby shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday in the 16800 block of Westheimer. He was dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Angeli, 38, had been on the force for 16 years, HPD officials said.

He was assigned to the burglary and theft unit at HPD's Westside Command Division along Dairy Ashford near Richmond.

Also assigned there was HPD Officer Richard Martin. Martin, 47, was struck and killed about 3 a.m. Monday while laying a set of strip spikes along the 900 block of Kirkwood in the Memorial area.

RELATED: HPD officer fatally struck during chase

"These two officers reported for duty at the same station every day," said HPD spokesman John Cannon.

He said HPD personnel were "saddened and stunned" after learning another of their fellow officers was dead. He was described as a "pretty happy, go-lucky guy," officials said.

"It's the second such tragic incident to have happened in the last 72 hours," Cannon said.

On Wednesday, a passing motorist spotted a Ford sedan parked next to an isolated transmission tower along Westheimer. The motorist stopped to investigate because the car seemed out of place, police said.

The bystander looked inside and saw the officer with a fatal gunshot wound and called authorities.

The officer was in civilian clothes but was carrying identification. Officers also found a gun in the car.

Houston police said the officer signed out the city-owned Ford sedan about 8 a.m. Wednesday. HPD investigators remained at the scene for several hours as they gathered evidence in the case. They blocked off all traffic along both lanes of Westheimer through the park during the inquiry.

HPD officials said they didn't know what was behind the officer's apparent suicide. He was not the target of a department internal affairs investigation and his commanders weren't aware of any other investigations, officials said.