Man suspected of robberies fatally shot by Texas officers after the robbery of a liquor store

OAK RIDGE NORTH, Texas (AP) — A man suspected of several robberies in southeastern Texas was fatally shot Monday night by officers with a joint task force after they saw him rob a liquor store, authorities said.

The man, whose name was not immediately released, fled officers who had been monitoring him before seeing him rob the liquor store in Oak Ridge North at gunpoint, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon.

“Let’s don’t get too complex here, something very simple happened, a bad guy came into our community and robbed one of our businesses,” in the town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Houston, Ligon said.

The officers then tried to arrest the man, but he fled on foot in the strip mall where the liquor store is located.

“When the suspect gets around the corner, he brandishes a weapon,” Ligon said. “The officers, fearing for their safety, discharged their weapons, the suspect dies.”

Ligon said a report on the shooting will be submitted to a grand jury to determine whether the officers acted appropriately.

Authorities did not say whether the man opened fire nor how many times the officers — four Houston police officers, a Harris County sheriff’s deputy and a Texas state trooper — fired their weapons.

None of the officers were injured and all are on paid leave pending investigations into the shooting.