Off-duty deputy shoots suspected robber after holdup at Houston gas station

Houston police officers investigate a scene where an off-duty Harris County Precinct 6 Constable's Office deputy shot a suspected robber at a Valero gas station near Gessner and Clay on Sunday, April 21, 2019. Houston police officers investigate a scene where an off-duty Harris County Precinct 6 Constable's Office deputy shot a suspected robber at a Valero gas station near Gessner and Clay on Sunday, April 21, 2019. Photo: Metro Video Photo: Metro Video Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Off-duty deputy shoots suspected robber after holdup at Houston gas station 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

A suspected robber is recovering from a gunshot wound after an off-duty deputy intervened in an armed robbery Sunday night, authorities said.

The deputy, employed for less than a year by the Harris County Precinct 6 Constable's Office, was on his way home from work around 11 p.m. when he spotted four hooded men walking along a fence line toward a Valero gas station at Gessner and Clay, Houston Police Department Assistant Chief Sheryl Victorian said.

"As he pulled up, two of the gentlemen ran out past his car back along the other side of the fence. He noticed they had weapons," Victorian said, later adding that officers recovered at least one firearm from the scene.

"(Another suspect) had a bat," she said.

Thinking this was suspicious, the deputy pulled into the gas station and watched the men as they went inside, Victorian said. He saw the convenience store clerk hold up his hands, telling him the men were inside robbing the store, she said.

As the four ran out of the store – cash and stolen cigarettes in hand – the deputy jumped out of his vehicle, drew his weapon, identified himself as a police officer and ordered the men to stop, Victorian said. One of the suspects turned back toward the deputy, at which time the deputy shot him at least once, Victorian said.

It was not immediately clear if the suspect who was shot had a weapon or pointed the weapon toward the deputy, although Victorian said because some of the suspects were carrying firearms, the deputy feared for his life. He was in uniform, Victorian said.

Houston police officers rushed to the scene and helped detain another suspect, although the two other suspects who fled the store hopped into a getaway vehicle with a driver who was waiting for them, Victorian said. In all, three suspects – two of which were inside the store and one getaway driver – remain at large.

The suspect who was shot by the deputy was rushed to an area hospital in an unknown condition, Victorian said, while the other suspect who was detained could be charged. The deputy's identity was not immediately released.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message