Houston, Texas

From the Houston Chronicle of July 19, 2005

Vehicle break-in draws gunfire

One of 3 men is shot after they were surprised by neighbors, one of whom is an officer

A trio of alleged burglars picked the wrong house early Tuesday, drawing gunfire from a next-door neighbor and a police officer who lives across the street and little sympathy from residents who said they were tired of being victimized by thieves.

One of the men was shot in the head and is not expected to recover, authorities said. The man, whose identity was not available, was on life support Tuesday night at Ben Taub General Hospital .

"They must not be from around here," said Sarah Dugger, who lives a block from the shooting scene in the 11700 block of Biscayne Way. "Everyone around here knows cops live there, and we like it."

"I'm sorry if they got hurt," Douglas Brown said. "But maybe it'll stop some of them."

Brown, who lives on Rittenhouse, said thieves burglarized his pickup last year, taking his stereo, CDs and the tools he uses to make his living in construction work.

"People ought to be able to own a few things without being afraid to go to sleep at night for fear they'll lose them," he said.

Homicide detectives said the shooting happened about 4:30 a.m. after north Houston homeowner Jaime Castilla Hernandez, 57, was awakened by his barking dog. He told officers he saw three men breaking into a Ford Expedition in a neighbor's driveway.

Hernandez called 911 and his son, Houston police officer Noe Hernandez, who lives across the street, detectives said.

The elder Hernandez took his 12-gauge shotgun outside and ordered the burglars to stop loading items into a minivan parked in the street. When they continued, investigators said, Hernandez fired a blast into the air and another in the direction of the thieves.

He told police he fired at the back of the van after one of the men pointed what appeared to be a weapon at him. Investigators said he may have wounded a man inside the van.

About the same time, detectives said, Noe Hernandez, wearing a police raid jacket with his badge hanging from his neck, ordered the three men to freeze and put their hands where he could see them.

Police said one of the men got into the driver's seat of the minivan and pointed a gun at Noe Hernandez, who fired.

The van started to speed away, leaving behind one of the men who had been hit in the head by gunfire. A department spokesman said it was unclear Tuesday night whose gunfire had struck the man.

About a half-block away, the minivan stopped. Investigators said the passenger got out and ran to the driver's door, pushing the driver out of the way and taking his place before speeding away. Police said that led them to believe the first driver also was wounded.