Houston police officers shoot armed man dead Saturday on Houston's south side

An armed man who associates say was searching for a stolen horse overnight on Houston's south side was shot dead by police after waving a gun when he was approached by two officers, authorities said. An armed man who associates say was searching for a stolen horse overnight on Houston's south side was shot dead by police after waving a gun when he was approached by two officers, authorities said. Photo: Metro Video Photo: Metro Video Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close Houston police officers shoot armed man dead Saturday on Houston's south side 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

An armed man who friends say was searching for a stolen horse overnight on Houston's south side was shot dead by police early Saturday morning after waving a gun when he was approached by two officers, authorities said.

A woman who identified herself on the scene as the man's wife said his name is Alva Braziel. According to public records, Braziel is a 38-year-old black man. News about the shooting quickly appeared on social media where posts said "Groucho" was his nickname.

Braziel was a felon and was not authorized to have a weapon. Since 2000, Braziel has faced more than a dozen criminal charges in Harris County – mostly drug possession cases but also burglary of a vehicle, resisting arrest and evading detention.

Early indications are the armed male might have been under the influence of a narcotic, refused all officers' commands to drop his gun and instead pointed the gun at officers, said acting Houston Police Chief Martha I. Montalvo.

The shooting happened around 12:40 a.m. Saturday as a pair of gang unit officers were riding in a cruiser along Cullen Boulevard on routine patrol. There were no emergency calls about a man with a gun.

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"In center of Cullen at Ward, they encounter a suspect standing in the middle of the street armed with a revolver," Houston Police Department spokeswoman Jodi Silva said. "The officers merely on-viewed this suspect standing in the street armed with a gun."

The officer driving immediately stopped the police car.

"As they (police officers) exited their vehicle, they gave multiple commands to the suspect to drop the weapon and to show his hands and to cooperate," Silva said.

A witness nearby reportedly also was yelling at the suspect and encouraging him to put the gun down.

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"As they're doing this, the suspect raises his weapon initially as to point it towards the air," Silva said. "After that, as the officers continue speaking, the suspect then points his weapon in the direction of the officers. The officers, in fear of their safety, discharged their duty weapons."

Braziel was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The investigation into the overnight officer-involved shooting incident is still in its early stages and very active. As we have stated, a male armed with a gun pointed the gun at our officers and two officers discharged their weapons to protect their lives," Montalvo said. "We extend condolences to the man's family and regret his loss of life."

Silva said that Houston police officers involved were veterans. One has 13 years of service and the other has been with the force for 10 years.

As is customary in all police officer-involved shootings, the case is being investigated by the police department's homicide division and its internal affairs division along as well as a separate probe by the Harris County District Attorney's Office, Silva said.

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Braziel's death follows national unrest this week about the police shootings of armed African-American men in Louisiana and Minnesota that have sparked protests nationwide and apparently contributed to an ambush of law enforcement in Dallas late Thursday that left five officers dead.

On Saturday morning, #AlvaBraziel was a trending Twitter hashtag in Houston.

Braziel had been cited at least two times about firearms by Harris County authorities and spent time in a Texas prison for drug offenses.

In mid-June 2001, he was charged with the unlawful carry of a weapon. According to court records, he accepted a plea bargain and was sentenced to 60 days in the Harris County Jail.

Two weeks later, he faced a felony charge for possession of phencyclidine, known as PCP or angel dust. He pleaded guilty in a plea bargain and was sentenced to six months in prison. That appears to be the conviction that made him a felon.

He was charged as a felon in possession of a weapon in 2004, but that case was dismissed.