CYPRESS, Texas --
An off-duty Houston police officer fatally shot a man in Cypress on Monday, investigators said.
Harris County sheriff's deputies said the shooting happened in the 13000 block of Rosetta Drive in Cypress at about 12:40 a.m.
A family asked the officer, who is their next-door neighbor, for help with a family disturbance, detectives said.
The officer, identified as Raul Abdala, went to the family's home and found 30-year-old Chad Nash armed with a knife in the front yard, investigators said.
Deputies said Nash started to walk toward the officer, and Abdala told him to drop the knife. Nash did not drop the knife and continued to move toward the officer, causing the officer to shoot out of fear for his safety, investigators said.
Nash was taken to Northwest Cypress Hospital, where he died.
"We would like to make it clear that there was no home invasion," Nash's family wrote in a statement. "There was a family altercation that ended tragically for everyone involved. It is a difficult time for both families, and we ask that you allow us to grieve privately and in the company of our loved ones."
Abdala has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure for officer-involved shootings.
Nash's family said they are not angry with the officer and said he protected them, perhaps even saving a life.
However, they said Nash never approached or threatened the officer. And they questioned how many shots were fired. Some said they counted four shots.
Abdala is assigned to the Special Crimes Division of HPD. He joined the force in December 2002.
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