Sheriffs investigate brothers who killed suspected truck thief Harris County sheriffs probe whether men took law into own hands when they followed, shot alleged truck thief

Two brothers chased down suspects who stole their pickup truck from their driveway in the Fallbrook subdivision early Sunday, killing the man driving the truck and triggering an investigation into whether they took the law into their own hands.

Neither the names of the brothers, ages 23 and 30, who lived in the 10200 block of Whitebrook, nor the name of the man killed were released. Harris County sheriff's spokesman Thomas Gilliland said the brothers were transported to the Lockwood substation to record their statements late Sunday night.

"The sheriff's office never encourages anyone to chase down suspected criminals," he said. "We want people to dial 911 and let us handle it. Things can otherwise go tragically wrong. Innocent bystanders can be killed by stray bullets or crashing vehicles."

He expects this case will be debated for days, similar to the Joe Horn affair in Pasadena in 2007. Horn was no-billed after a controversial investigation into the fatal shooting of two men he caught burglarizing his neighbor's home.

Once the investigation of the Fallbrook incident is complete, Gilliland expects the case to be submitted to a Harris County grand jury for review.

According to preliminary reports, the two brothers were inside their home about 1 a.m. Sunday when they heard the truck alarm and some strange noises. They rushed outside to find men stealing their truck.

They confronted a man inside their truck, as well two accomplices inside a nearby tan Chevy Suburban, Gilliland said.

Authorities said the brothers raced inside to retrieve their guns, jumped into a black late-model Mustang and began pursuing them. They chased them for about two miles, while dialing 911, until the brothers said they noticed one of two men in the Suburban pointing a gun toward them.

The brothers said they fired back at the Suburban and pickup, striking the pickup driver in his chest. He lost control of the truck and crashed in the parking lot of Office Depot at West Road and Interstate 45 north. The person in the truck died at the scene, authorities said.

Those in the Suburban fled and remain at large, authorities said.

Gilliland said he did not know if any weapon was recovered from the pickup truck.

"We have towed the truck and are just beginning to process it. I don't believe there were any casings or evidence of the weapons used by those in the Suburban or truck being fired," he said. "The grand jury will have to decide whether these brothers were within their rights to defend themselves."