Houston 'Hood On Lockdown After Officers Shot, One Suspect Killed

Two Houston police officers are being treated at area hospitals after engaging in a gunfight with burglars who apparently opened fire on the officers with stolen weapons. Once suspect is dead, but police have several blocks around the shooting cordoned off and tactical teams are conducting a thorough search for qn additional suspect that the police hope they have trapped inside the police perimeter.

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A southwest Houston neighborhood where two police officers were shot earlier is on lockdown and residents are urged to stay inside and lock their doors.

Cops are telling residents in the 8700 block of Sterlingame to stay inside and take cover, according to KHOU 11 News reporter Drew Karedes. They aren’t letting anyone enter the neighborhood.

One suspect is dead but the search continues for at least one more, according to Mayor Sylvester Turner.

The officers were injured around 12:30 p.m. after responding to a burglary in progress in the residential area the Beltway and West Bellfort.

Mayor Turner said one of the officers lives on Sterlingame and was apparently the first to respond. Turner said the suspects had several stolen guns and they opened fire on the officers when they approached a backyard shed.

Two ambulances, escorted by several HPD units, rushed both injured officers to the Texas Medical Center.

Officer Ronnie Cortez is in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital with several gunshot wounds. One bullet is lodged near his spine, according to the mayor. Turner said Cortez’s wife is at his side and he was able to speak with her. The couple have a college-age daughter who was out of town but she is being flown back to Houston. Cortez is a 24-year veteran.

“His condition has improved some since when he first got here,” EMS Director Dr. David Persse said. Persse said he is conscious and alert.

Officer Jose Munoz is at Ben Taub Hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. Another bullet  grazed him in the back. His injuries are not life-threatening, the mayor said. Munoz is a 10-year veteran.

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Police are looking for a Hispanic man wearing black with a blue bandana.

We will update the story as we have more information.

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