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2 of 3 Houston police officers wounded in shooting out of hospital; suspect charged

The suspect is believe to have opened fire with what a police official described as a "fully automatic weapon."
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A man accused of shooting three police officers, carjacking a driver and barricading himself inside a home for hours Thursday has been charged, Houston police said.

Two of the three wounded officers were discharged have since been discharged from the hospital, and a third remained hospitalized in stable condition, police said Friday night.

Police identified the suspect as Roland Caballero, 31. He has been charged with three counts of attempted capital murder of a police officer and one count of aggravated robbery, police said.

He is believed to have opened fire with what Houston Police Chief Troy Finner described at a news conference as a “fully automatic” weapon.

The incident began shortly before 3 p.m. when police responded to a family disturbance, he said.

Caballero fired at officers, then fled in a vehicle. The officers, who weren’t injured, returned fire. The suspect crashed after a pursuit and opened fire again, this time striking three officers, Finner said.

Police investigate the scene of a shooting involving three Houston police officers Thursday.
Police investigate the scene of a shooting involving three Houston police officers Thursday.KPRC

He then carjacked a white Mercedes-Benz at gunpoint and drove to a home in a residential area northeast of downtown Houston, where he barricaded himself for several hours, Finner said. 

Shortly before 8 p.m., police said the suspect was in custody. He walked out of the house with his hands up, Finner said.

Caballero had a gunshot wound to the neck and was taken to the hospital, police said. He remained hospitalized Friday night. It was unclear whether his injury was from the exchange of gunfire with police.

Police identified the three northeast patrol officers who were shot as Officer N. Gadson, 35, with four years of service; Officer D. Hayden, 32, with three years of service; and Officer A. Alvarez, 28, with two years of service.

Gadson and Hayden have been discharged from Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, where Alvarez remained hospitalized in stable condition, police said Friday night.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters that one of the officers was shot in the foot; another was struck in the leg; the third was hit in the arm.


The person who was carjacked was physically OK, Finner said.

NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston reported that loud bangs could be heard in the neighborhood after police officers arrived at the home where the man was barricaded. A witness told the station he heard what he described as 40 gunshots.

Tactical officers then surrounded the home, the station reported. Live video showed a large law enforcement presence in the area and trucks carrying heavy equipment and armored vehicles. 

An officer could be heard telling the suspect through a megaphone that his girlfriend was concerned about him, the station reported.

At a news conference earlier Thursday, officials called on residents to help stem a recent surge in gun violence.

“These are inherently dangerous times — that was demonstrated again today,” Turner said, adding: “There are lot of guns on the street. Quite frankly there are just too many on the street and in the hands of people who will use them in a second.”

On Sunday, Harris County Cpl. Charles Galloway was fatally shot in what authorities described as a “brutal attack.” Houston police officials announced an arrest in the case hours before Thursday’s shooting.