WASHINGTON (TND) — A police officer in Texas was shot in the face by a carjacking suspect on Saturday, according to authorities.
The Houston Police Department said Missouri City Police Officer Crystal Sepulveda is "in stable condition" and surrounded by loved ones at a hospital, where she is recovering.
She is a strong officer," said Lance Bothell, who is the assistant chief of police at the Missouri City Police Department. "She will make it through this."Bothell said Sepulveda has been with the department for three years.
During a news briefing, Chief Troy Finner, of the Houston Police Department, said the scene unfolded in the area of the 15500 block of Winter Briar Dr. around 2 a.m. EDT when officers spotted a vehicle involved in a robbery the previous day.
Finner said officers spotted the vehicle at a gas station and followed it. Then, the suspect got out of the car in front of a house and tried to run away.
As officers approached him, he fired his gun and Sepulveda was wounded.
Police then found the suspect in a backyard, where he fired at them again.
Officers returned fire, striking the suspect multiple times. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Authorities did not identify the suspect but said he was a Black man between the ages of 25 and 30.
Departments across the area and beyond shared Sepulveda's photo and offered their condolences.
The Sugar Land Police Department stands with our brothers and sisters at the Missouri City Police Department and pray for a speedy recovery for Officer Sepulveda," police noted on Facebook.The Midland Police Department shared similar sentiments.
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