Police Sergeant Dead After Shooting in Houston’s East End

Houston police in a file photo taken in Houston, Texas on Jan. 28, 2019. Loren Elliott/Getty Images

A Houston police sergeant has been killed on Dec.7 as he attended to a call for help from a woman reporting assault from her boyfriend who she said was armed with two weapons, according to police officials.

Police chief Art Acevedo told a press conference that Sgt. Christopher Brewster was responding to the domestic disturbance call in the 7400 block of Avenue L near Magnolia Park just after 5:45 p.m. when he came under gunfire.

Acevedo said that Brewster, who was patrolling the area when the call for help came in, arrived at the scene to find the couple had left the reported location but he saw them walking in a nearby alley.

As soon as he exited his patrol vehicle, Brewster was shot several times by the suspect, who Acevedo identified as a Hispanic male. The suspect immediately fled the scene on foot.

Despite his wounds, Brewster managed to draw his own weapon and radio other responding officers to provide a description of the suspect that was “critical” in his apprehension, including what clothing he was wearing. The incident was recorded on a body-worn camera, the chief said.

Emergency services were called to the scene and first-responders performed CPR on Brewster, who had not been wearing a bullet-proof vest when the incident occurred. The sergeant was then taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Meanwhile, the woman who made the call to the police was uninjured, Acevedo said.

Brewster had been with the department for about nine years and was promoted to sergeant earlier this year. He is survived by his wife, parents and a brother.

“There are no what-ifs in the case,” Acevedo said. “Everyone did their very best.”

Houston police chief Art Acevedo looks on during a press conference following a tour of the NRG Center evacuation center,in Houston, Texas, on September 4, 2017. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Officials later said that a bullet-proof vest would not have saved Brewster’s life in this shooting.

Acevedo told media that police have apprehended the suspect, who they identified as 25-year-old Arturo Solis. Solis has a lengthy criminal history, including a charge of assault to a family member.

He was in possession of a semi-automatic pistol when taken into custody.

“This is a tough evening,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said at a press conference outside the hospital Saturday night.

“Every single day our police officers show up, they come to work not knowing what they are gonna face. I want to be very mindful of the service Chris gave to the city,” he added.

Acevedo choked back tears when he said that Brewster was among the “best of the best” but was “gone because of a coward.”

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks information on police line-of-duty deaths, Brewster is the 44th officer to be fatally shot this year. Twelve other law enforcement officers have died this year in Texas.

Tony Buzbee, who is currently running for Houston Mayor, also paid tribute to Brewster on Facebook and said that the officer was the second to be killed in the line of duty in just over two months.

“Praying for the family of fallen HPD officer Christopher Brewster and our city’s men and women in blue,” he wrote.