Witnesses to the fatal police shooting of an unarmed Third Ward man disputed official accounts of the incident Thursday, saying Kenny Releford, thought by neighbors to be mentally ill, had his hands over his head when the officer fired.

The incident, which occurred at the intersection of Sampson and Francis about 12:10 a.m. Thursday, marks the second time in less than a month that an officer-involved shooting drew criticism for how police handled a suspect with possible mental problems.

In the latest incident, police spokesman John Cannon said officer J. Rosemon responded to a call in the 3300 block of Sampson after Releford, 37, allegedly kicked in the door of the residence of an 87-year-old neighbor and sexually assaulted the man's young nephew.

Cannon said Rosemon went to Releford's home and asked to speak with him. Releford stepped onto his porch with his left arm behind his back, Cannon said, disregarding the officer's command to keep his hands in plain sight.

Then, Cannon said, Releford began screaming at the officer, moving toward him with his hand still concealed. Again Rosemon ordered the man to stop, but Releford continued to advance, the spokesman said. When Releford stepped within five feet of the officer, Rosemon, fearing for his life, fired two shots, Cannon said. Releford was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he later died.

Neighbors, though, told a dramatically different story.

Creola Scott, who lives across the street, said Releford exited his house with his hands in the air. She agreed that Releford continued walking toward the officer despite the policeman's order to stop. Releford fell to the ground after the first shot, she said, then rose. The policeman then fired a second shot.

Another witness, Lisa Arowshere, said Releford had both hands in the air as he walked toward the policeman. Arowshere said she and others watching the confrontation called to the policeman to alert him of Releford's perceived mental illness.

"We were saying, 'Please don't shoot. He's mentally ill,' " she said Thursday. "I truly understand police concern. They want to go home after work. ... They had no reason to shoot him."

Cannon called the department's investigation of the incident "very active," and encouraged witnesses to share their accounts with homicide investigators.

Known for rage

Although Releford often was calm and genial, Arowshere and other neighbors said he suffered episodes of rage. Sometimes, they said, he paced the sidewalk in front of his home in animated conversation with himself, banged his head against a wall or accosted neighbors.

Police, Arowshere said, had been summoned to Releford's home for disturbances at least "three or four times." Cannon said police records would not indicate whether such calls had been prompted by mental health problems.

Anna Ward, Releford's next-door neighbor, said the man earlier this year invited her into his home to "chill with him." As they sat on a sofa, however, Releford forcefully grabbed the woman around the waist. As they struggled, he began choking her, she said. As the tussle escalated, ending near the kitchen, Ward said she "cold-cocked" Releford with a frying pan, apparently returning him to his senses.

"He apologized," she said.

Eboni Abbs, whose grandfather, Warren Abbs, was the victim of Thursday's home invasion, said she once witnessed Releford raging at his father and another man who were trying to coax him into their vehicle. When the elder Releford asked the woman to close the front door to his son's home, the agitated man charged toward her. For 20 minutes she cowered in the house fearing that Releford would follow her.

Eventually, she said, police arrived, and Releford was taken to a hospital.

Neighbors reported Releford had spent time in a mental hospital, but that claim could not be immediately confirmed.

Warren Abbs' son, Ray Abbs, said his father had been friendly with Releford. Once, Releford helped remodel the older man's home, his son said, and the men often played dominos. A military veteran, Releford worked as a handyman at several houses his father owned in the neighborhood.

Double-amputee death

Releford's killing comes just weeks after a Houston police officer fatally shot a schizophrenic double-amputee at a Houston private care home. Officer Matthew Marin shot Brian Claunch in the head, saying he feared the man was going to stab another officer whom Claunch had backed against the wall with his wheelchair. Claunch was armed only with a ballpoint pen.

That case is being investigated by police internal affairs and homicide divisions, the Harris County District Attorney's Office and the FBI.

Houston police officers are required to attend 16 hours of training for handling mentally ill suspects, and many have up to as many as 40 hours. Police also have crisis intervention units, in which police are paired with a mental health clinician, but it appears such teams were not to dispatched to either of the cases ending in fatal shootings.

dale.lezon@chron.com

allan.turner@chron.com