Homicide

Houston police chase ends in deadly shooting of motorist suspected of traffic violation

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Deputy Thomas Gilliland with the Harris County Sheriff's Department speaks at the scene of a car chase that ended in a fatal shooting Wednesday, April 15, 2015, in Houston. Gilliland said that after the chase, two Houston police officers told the suspect to show his hands, but as they approached his car he reached back into his vehicle. Suspecting that he was reaching for a weapon, both officers opened fire multiple times, killing the man. (Cody Duty/Houston Chronicle via AP) (The Associated Press)

A man is held back at the scene of a car chase that ended in a fatal shooting Wednesday, April 15, 2015, in Houston. Deputy Thomas Gilliland, said that after the chase, two Houston police officers told the suspect to show his hands, but as they approached his car he reached back into his vehicle. Suspecting that he was reaching for a weapon, both officers opened fire multiple times, killing the man. (Cody Duty/Houston Chronicle via AP) (The Associated Press)

The Harris County Sheriff's Department investigates the scene of a car chase that ended in a fatal shooting Wednesday, April 15, 2015, in Houston. Deputy Thomas Gilliland, said that after the chase, two Houston police officers told the suspect to show his hands, but as they approached his car he reached back into his vehicle. Suspecting that he was reaching for a weapon, both officers opened fire multiple times, killing the man. (Cody Duty/Houston Chronicle via AP) (The Associated Press)

Houston police have shot and killed a man after a police chase that started with a suspected traffic violation.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office is investigating. A spokesman for the office, Deputy Thomas Gilliland, said that after the chase, two Houston police officers told the suspect to show his hands, but as they approached his car he reached back into his vehicle. Suspecting that he was reaching for a weapon, both officers opened fire multiple times, killing the man

Neither officer was hurt.

A statement from the Sheriff's Office didn't say if a weapon was found.

Authorities say the chase began when police tried to pull over the driver for "suspicious activity," including unsafe lane changes. They said the vehicle eventually struck two other vehicles at an intersection before stopping.