Man shot near Rice

By Josh Rutenberg     5/14/09 7:00pm

Metro Police shot and killed a man carrying a knife last week just outside of the Rice campus. The police had been following the man after he became involved in an altercation at METRORail's Dryden/TMC station, south of campus. When he took off along the outer loop, Metro Police fatally wounded the man, Rice Director of News and Media Relations B.J. Almond said. According to the Houston Metro Police Department, the incident was the first fatal shooting in the history of Metro's law enforcement division.

Police told the Houston Chronicle that the suspect did not follow instructions given by officer J.P. Zepeda, and the suspect reportedly acted in a threatening manner. The officer first used a taser on the suspect but when it had no apparent effect, he called for backup, police said. After the suspect took off down Main Street waving a knife in the air, the officer followed him. Officer R.L. Harrington arrived on the scene and used his taser, again with no apparent affect, police told the Chronicle.

When the man began to lunge at the officers, Harrington fatally shot the suspect on the jogging trail outside of the Rice campus.

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A female bystander sustained an arm injury from the shooting, but was treated by Rice EMS and was then transported to Ben Taub Hospital for further treatment.

"To avoid these situations, move together with a group," Rice Police Chief Bill Taylor said. "Using caution and being aware of your surroundings will help [students] avoid these situations the best they can." Taylor added that the Rice police were not involved, aside from helping to set up a perimeter after the situation had been resolved.

Police told the Chronicle that they are still assessing the situation, and will review what they can do differently in the future.

"The officers did what they were trained to do as we understand it now," Metro Police Chief Thomas Lambert told the Chronicle. "We look forward to supporting them through this process."

Neither the police, the man nor the bystander were affiliated with members of the Rice community. The Rice community was not at risk from this incident, Taylor said.

Rice students and faculty were notified via both text message and e-mail just before noon on the day of the shooting.

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