HPD officer fatally shoots man in wheelchair

A schizophrenic double amputee waving a writing pen from his wheelchair was fatally shot early Saturday by a Houston police officer, authorities said.

Police were called to the East End personal care home around 2 a.m. because resident Brian Claunch had become agitated after his caretaker refused to give him a soda and a cigarette, said John Garcia, the owner of the home at 4309 Polk.

"He was approaching them aggressively," said Houston Police Department spokes­woman Jodi Silva. "He was attempting to stab them with what is now found to be a pen."

Claunch, who had been living at the home for the past 18 months with two other men, ignored officers' commands and made threats against them and other occupants of the home, Garcia said the caretaker told him. Claunch trapped one of the officers in a corner, authorities said.

Matthew Marin, a five-year HPD veteran, fired his weapon at least one time, fearing for his partner's safety and his own, Silva said. Claunch died at the scene.

Home's owner shocked

Garcia said he was stunned at the news when he arrived at the home Saturday morning, shortly after the incident.

"He sometimes would go off a bit, but you just ignore it," Garcia said of Claunch.

Garcia has operated the personal care home for the past eight years.

In one prior incident, Garcia said, Claunch failed to return to the house and Garcia called for police assistance. Once Claunch saw the police, he returned home willingly.

Claunch told him that he lost his right leg to just above the knee and all of his right arm when he was hit by a train, Garcia said.

The victim, who was in his mid-40s, came to the East End personal care home more than a year ago, as part of a placement by the Harris County guardianship program. A call to his guardian was not immediately returned Saturday.

Garcia said Claunch liked to "doodle" and two days ago he had given him a black felt pen to draw with. Garcia said he was not sure if it was that pen or another one that Claunch was waving at the time of the incident.

Renters heard shot

Three men who rent a house across the street from the group home said its presence posed no trouble for the neighborhood.

"It's a quiet little area," said Randy Kingery, a land surveyor. "We've never had any problems."

Kingery said he and his roommates, who were on the front porch when police arrived, heard a gunshot about two minutes after the first officers pulled up.

"We said, 'There's no way they have a gun in the house,' " he said.

As is standard practice with officer-involved shootings, Marin, who is assigned to the South Central Patrol Division, will work three days of desk duty. The incident will be investigated by HPD's homicide and internal affairs divisions, as well as the Harris County District Attorney's Office, Silva said.

Reporter Carol Christian contributed to this report.

terri.langford@chron.com