An off-duty Conroe police sergeant fatally shot a suspected shoplifter after the man choked the officer during a fight in a wooded area outside a Wal-Mart late Wednesday night.
The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. near the store at 1407 N. Loop 336 W, according to the Conroe Police Department.
Police identified the suspect as Russell Rios, 19. He died at the scene.
The sergeant, whose name has not been released, had minor injuries. He was treated a hospital and later released.
Police said the incident began when store employees called authorities to report they were trying to detain a suspected shoplifter. An off-duty Conroe police sergeant at the scene saw the suspect running away and the workers chasing him. The workers told the sergeant what was happening and he followed them.
The suspect dashed into a wooded area. The sergeant ran after him. At some point, police said, the sergeant and Rios began fighting and Rios started choking the officer. Police said the sergeant shot Rios.
Police did not release information about what Rios was suspected of taking from the store.
As is customary in officer-involved shootings, the sergeant will placed on leave as the cases is being investigated.
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McClatchy-Tribune News Service
