An officer-involved shooting outside a popular restaurant and shopping area sent diners scrambling for cover on a busy evening, after Houston police shot a suspect along a heavily traveled stretch of Westheimer.
The shooting happened on Westheimer near Suffolk Drive, a corridor that was bustling at the dinner hour. Among the businesses in the area is the restaurant Escalante's, which was full of customers when the gunfire erupted just outside.
According to police, the encounter began at around 7:20 p.m. An officer was patrolling the area when he spotted a vehicle and ran its license plate, discovering that the car had been reported stolen.
At some point, the officer saw a person inside the vehicle and tried to get them to step out. Police said the person did not obey the officer's orders, and the confrontation escalated from there, ending with the officer opening fire on the suspect.
Inside Escalante's, diners who had stopped in for a quick, casual dinner suddenly heard gunshots ring out. They described running to hide, ducking under tables and behind whatever walls they could find as the situation unfolded just outside.
Some of those inside began recording video during the ordeal and later shared their footage with FOX 26, capturing much of what was happening from behind the relative safety of the restaurant's interior.
Hours later, the scene along Westheimer remained active as investigators worked to piece together exactly what led to the shooting. Police said the investigation was continuing into the confrontation that played out in front of so many onlookers.