One Policeman and Two Badguys killed

thumbtack

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http://www.nbc5i.com/news/1509262/detail.html

HOUSTON -- A Harris County sheriff's deputy and two suspects were killed early Wednesday morning after a botched home invasion robbery.

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The shooting happened shortly after 1:30 a.m. at the home, located near the intersection of Bentley and Havner Lane in northeast Harris County.


Harris County Sheriff Tommy Thomas said that the five suspects are believed to be members of a local gang.

A suspect has been arrested, but two armed suspects remain at large, authorities said.

Investigators said that the two suspects they are searching for are Richard Longoria, 28, and Benjamin Gonzalez, 24, and that they were last seen driving a red, 1989 four-door Cadillac.

Authorities said that Longoria and Gonzalez have been charged with aggravated robbery.

Deputies and other law enforcement officers have set up a 5-mile perimeter near the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and Havner Lane, which is about 1 1/2 miles from the shooting, to search for Longoria and Gonzalez, bringing in K-9 units and helicopters.

Aldine Independent School District officials said that they have issued a lockdown mode for several summer schools in the area where authorities are searching.

The schools in lockdown mode are as follows:
Aldine High School
Aldine Ninth Grade Center
Black Elementary School
Odom Elementary School
Stovall Middle School
Thompson Elementary School
Worsham Elementary School

Shooting Investigation

Sheriff's investigators said that two deputies were responding to a disturbance call at the home.

"The individual that called in this morning was a young woman who said her mother was being assaulted by men with guns," Lt. Robert Van Pelt said.

Several units responded to the call, Van Pelt said.



"When (the two deputies) went to the residence, (and) came to the door, they heard a commotion inside," Van Pelt said. "They could tell something was happening inside. They entered the home and that's when the shots were fired."

Deputy Shane Bennett suffered a gunshot wound to the head and two suspects were shot and killed, authorities said.

Bennett was flown by medical helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he later died.

The homeowner, Rosa de la Garza, 22, was shot in her side and her 3-month-old son, Ray, was shot in the hand, authorities said.

De la Garza and her son were also taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where they are listed in serious condition.

De la Garza's relatives said that she was alert in the hospital, and told them that the suspects broke in through the back of the home, held everyone inside the home at gunpoint, and then shot her and her son before help arrived.

The shooting is under investigation.

Deputy Shane Bennett

Bennett, 29, joined the Harris County Sheriff's Department in 1993.

He worked out of the substation in Humble, Texas, which is about 19 miles northeast of Houston.



"I worked with Deputy Bennett several years ago," Lt. Chris Lee said. "He was a very dedicated (and) conscientious deputy. A hard worker (who) enjoyed his work, loved his work, and was a good father (and) family man. Just a good all-around person."

Bennett leaves behind a wife and a 1-year-old daughter.

Bennett is the second deputy to be shot in the line of duty this week.

Sgt. Tommy Bohannon, 41, was shot in the abdomen and wrist Sunday after a chase that ended in a shootout.

Bohannon, a 15-year veteran with the Harris County Sheriff's Department, is hospitalized in serious condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital, and will undergo several surgeries.

Investigators said that Bohannon was shot twice by Waseem Jung, 19, after Bohannon spotted the teenager driving erratically on Interstate 45.
 

pax

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Condolences to the families and friends of the officer who died in the line of duty.

Be safe out there, guys.

pax
 

jadams951

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Damn it I'm getting sick of police funerals so close to me.

Not that it means much but if you have to go at least they took some of the punks with him.
 

foghornl

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My condolences to the family & friends of Deputy Bennet who gave all to protect and serve the Citizens of Harris County.
 

Libertarian

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Bad ****. It is always a shame when a cop goes down in the line of duty (protecting others from the BGs). My heart goes out to his family.
 

Drizzt

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The Associated Press State & Local Wire

June 14, 2002, Friday, BC cycle


8:16 AM Eastern Time

SECTION: State and Regional

LENGTH: 519 words

HEADLINE: 'Domestic' call turned deadly in Houston area

DATELINE: HOUSTON

BODY:
Harris County deputies thought they were responding to a domestic disturbance the morning they arrived at a Houston area home and faced four armed members of the Latin Kings, a street gang.

Harris County Deputy Shane Bennett died after being shot in the head and hip when he and two other deputies exchanged fire with the four men who had invaded a home just before 2 a.m. Wednesday.

"Had they known it was actually a home invasion, they might have handled it a little differently," homicide detective Sgt. Bruce Williams told the Houston Chronicle for Friday's editions. Also killed were suspects Daniel Damian Jr., 20, and Carlos Alberto Ramirez, 24.

Two residents of the home also were hit by gunfire during the shootout. Rosa De La Garza, 22, was shot in the side, and her 3-month-old son, Ray, was hit in the wrist, probably by the same bullet, investigators said.

Three other suspects - one of whom had been waiting outside the home when the gun battle erupted - remained in the Harris County Jail on Friday. Richard Longoria, 28, Benjamin Gonzalez Jr., 24, and Christian Adrian Gonzalez, 17, are charged with aggravated robbery.

Christian Gonzalez is believed by investigators to have been the getaway driver, investigators said.

Officials hope to upgrade the charges to capital murder of a police officer.

De La Garza's brother, Nick Ochoa, believes Bennett and his partners may have saved the lives of the 10 people in the house by arriving when they did.

Bennett and two other deputies were responding to reports of a weapons disturbance at De La Garza's mother's home. The call was made by De La Garza's 18-year-old sister who told dispatchers that armed men were hurting her mother.

The shootout is being investigated by the homicide and internal affairs divisions of the Harris County Sheriff's Department and the civil rights division of the Harris County district attorney's office.

Investigators are awaiting autopsy and ballistics reports they hope will help them determine who shot whom. They also are trying to learn why the suspects targeted the house.

Detectives said the invaders, who demanded money, jewelry and drugs while ransacking the home, may have mistaken the house for another they believed had drugs and money.

The Latin Kings are a sophisticated, serious and sometimes deadly criminal organization, gang experts say.

"In the last few years, they've begun to keep a lower profile," said Sgt. Bill Kesseler of the Harris County Sheriff's Department's Criminal Intelligence Division. "They haven't been flying their colors and doing their graffiti. They've gone downscale to reduce attention. Now they're more involved in criminal activity for money than for turf and playing the original gang thing."

The Latin Kings were born in the mid-1960s in Chicago, where they still reign as the oldest and largest Hispanic gang. The group boasts affiliates in 34 states.

Bennett, 29, is survived by his wife, Teresa Bennett, and their 20-month-old daughter, Alyssa.

Services for Bennett will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Fellowship of the Woodlands.

LOAD-DATE: June 14, 2002
 

Drizzt

New member
The Associated Press State & Local Wire

June 13, 2002, Thursday, BC cycle

SECTION: State and Regional

LENGTH: 367 words

HEADLINE: Slain deputy is remembered as dedicated

DATELINE: HOUSTON

BODY:
A sheriff investigating the shooting death of a deputy and two Houston area residents during a home invasion says the deputy may have walked into a no-win situation.

Harris County Deputy Shane Bennett was shot in the head and the hip when gunfire broke out early Wednesday as officers tried to apprehend the five intruders. Two suspects were slain, and the other three were arrested. Ten people, all members of an extended family, were in the northeast Harris County home during the 1:30 a.m. break-in. Two of them, a 22-year-old woman and her infant son, were wounded.

Investigators believe the attack was drug- and gang-related. Sheriff Tommy Thomas doesn't didn't find fault with any of the deputies' tactical decisions at the scene.

"The woman was being beat with a pistol," the sheriff told the Houston Chronicle in Thursday's editions. "You go in - you don't have a choice. They had to act with the information at hand."

But the slain deputy was remembered as "an outstanding guy and a very dedicated trooper."

"You're not going to find anybody who doesn't have a kind word to say about him," said Ed Christensen, president of the Harris County Deputies' Organization.

Bennett, 29 and a 1990 graduate of Spring High School, was well thought of by his fellow deputies and was a hardworking, conscientious lawman, the sheriff said.

"Shane died a hero," Christensen said. "What would have happened if Shane hadn't been there? This officer laid down his life and gave the ultimate sacrifice. He absolutely laid down his life for his fellow man."

Sheriff's Capt. Mike Talton worked with Bennett for about a year in the second patrol district.

"I literally never heard a bad word about the guy," Talton said. "Everyone had high praise for him and spoke extremely well of him. He was the kind of deputy that other deputies aspire to be like."

Bennett, who resided in Montgomery in Montgomery County, is survived by his wife, Teresa, and 20-month-old daughter, Alyssa.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

The 100 Club said it was immediately donating $10,000 to Bennett's family. The group, which assists the families of fallen law officers, is soliciting donations.

LOAD-DATE: June 14, 2002
 
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