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Family finds Houston officer shot to death
Gun-cleaning equipment, other weapons suggest a 'tragic accident'

By MIKE GLENN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

A veteran Houston police officer was discovered dead in his southwest Houston home Sunday morning, likely from a gunshot wound he received while cleaning a weapon, police said.

The officer, who has not been identified, was discovered by his family about 11 a.m. in the kitchen of the home in the 11000 block of Wainfleet, police said.

"There are multiple weapons, cleaning equipment and so forth all laid out on a kitchen table where the officer was found," said Sgt. Nate McDuell, Houston Police Department spokesman.

There were no signs of a break-in at the house, which was surrounded by yellow crime scene tape most of the day.

"The indications are that the officer was by himself at the time of the shooting," McDuell said. "It's a possibility that this could be just a tragic accident."

The officer had been with the department for more than 20 years and was soon expected to be transferred to HPD's homicide division, officials said.

"He was a very well-liked officer. He had many friends on the force," McDuell said. "Everyone is just really saddened by the events of today."

Police blocked access to the street. A neighbor said the officer had finished up a term earlier this year as president of the local homeowners' association.

"He was a great person. I'm in shock," neighbor Adrian Porter said. "I'm at a loss for words. I just can't believe this."

If the ongoing investigation confirms that the death was an accident, McDuell said it should serve as a warning of the dangers of firearms — even for the most-experienced users.
"We handle weapons on a day-to-day basis," he said. "Even a veteran officer such as this can be victimized by what is apparently a tragic accident."

In 2004, 649 people in the U.S. died from unintentional gun injuries — accounting for about 2.2 percent of all firearm deaths, according to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A study from 1998 showed that 72 percent of accidental, non-fatal gunshot injuries were self-inflicted.

An analysis published by the Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that such accidents most often occurred during activities like cleaning, loading and unloading weapons.

Staff writer Carolyn Feibel contributed to this report.

mike.glenn@chron.com

frankie_the_yankee wrote:Possible suicide?

HighVelocity wrote:The only thing worse than accidentally shooting yourself due to carelessness would be if that same bullet struck someone else. This was totally preventable and very sad indeed.

stevie_d_64 wrote:But that is tempered by that mentioning that he had a lot of his firearms out and was cleaning them...

If someone was intending to kill themselves, I'm not sure going through a routine like that, and having all that hardware out would bring about any final though of suicide...Thinking it only takes one gun and one round to get it done I suppose...If you have made up your mind to do so...

So I am still leaning toward this being an unfortunate accident...

We'll have to wait and see...

Keith B wrote:

stevie_d_64 wrote:But that is tempered by that mentioning that he had a lot of his firearms out and was cleaning them...

If someone was intending to kill themselves, I'm not sure going through a routine like that, and having all that hardware out would bring about any final though of suicide...Thinking it only takes one gun and one round to get it done I suppose...If you have made up your mind to do so...

So I am still leaning toward this being an unfortunate accident...

We'll have to wait and see...

However, if an individual who has a very through background in crime scene investigation wanted to make sure it looked like an accident, they may go through the extra length to orchestrate the AD while cleaning scenario.

The main reason would be that life insurance many times does not pay for sucide, but will for accidental shooting. If it looks like an AD, then the insurance has a harder time fighting the claim it if there is no evidence to the contrary.

There is also a stigma that can be associated with suicide that can put shame on a family, so it looks better as an AD, instead of the person being emotionally unstable.

Either way I am sure the family is grieving and they need to be in our thoughts and prayers.

stevie_d_64 wrote:... you brought up a great point about the insurance side of the deal...

frankie_the_yankee wrote:Possible suicide?