As Houston’s law enforcement community agonizes once again over the death of an officer, the person believed to have pulled the trigger had threatened his wife twice leading up to shooting.

The suspect, Elmer Manzano, 51, was taken into custody from the Richmond Manor apartment complex on Holly Hall and then reportedly transported to Ben Taub Hospital with a gunshot wound to his upper body.

Police said he had barricaded himself in an apartment after two officers were wounded. Sgt. Harold Preston died from his injuries. This prompted SWAT team members to respond.

Chief Art Acevedo confirmed his department was called twice by Manzano’s wife over domestic violence.

Police documents obtained by ABC13 showed as recent as Sunday, the couple had a verbal fight over their 14-year-old son’s custody. Officers were called at that time, where they found six bullets on Manzano but no gun.

The incident resulted in police reporting “no assault occurred.”
Going a step further, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office was willing to accept a terroristic threat charge if officers believed that an assault happened. Prosecutors stated on their charge refusal slip “officer does not believe offense occurred.”

ABC13 also learned Manzano’s wife made at least one other complaint against her husband, which was taken this past Saturday, making it two reports to police over one weekend.

We’re also learning Manzano’s 14-year-old son was caught in harm’s way during Tuesday’s incident. The teen was shot and later taken to Texas Children’s Hospital. His condition was not immediately disclosed.

A search of Manzano’s criminal history showed a December 2002 charge of evading arrest with a motor vehicle, but Acevedo indicated Manzano had police called on him over repeated abuses to his family.

HOUSTON – The City of Houston invites job seekers to the Turnaround Houston Readiness Fair, scheduled from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22. The event will be held virtually, and registration is required. Click here and choose the Turnaround Houston event to register, or for more information, go to www.houstontx.gov/turnaround.

More than 1,300 jobs will be available at this event. Job seekers can also connect with hiring managers and company representatives, as well as find information about job readiness tools, training and continued education.

Turnaround Houston, which combines the elements of a job fair and a resource center, is a community-based initiative created by Mayor Sylvester Turner in 2016. It is designed to help Houstonians turn their lives around by providing them with vital resources that can assist them with eliminating employment barriers.

“Turnaround Houston will connect job seekers to dozens of hiring employers in many industries, including with the City of Houston,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “I invite you to take advantage of this opportunity, which you can access virtually at no cost.”

Turnaround Houston is held in partnership with the Office of Business Opportunity, the Office of Council Member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz – Houston City Council District D, and Workforce Solutions.

“The City of Houston, along with our partners, remains committed to assisting Houstonians find opportunities for gainful employment. We encourage everyone who is on a job search to sign up for this event,” said OBO Director Marsha E. Murray.

HOUSTON – Today, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced a COVID-19 Related Crime Reduction Program to increase overtime for the Houston Police Department through the end of December 2020. The City will use $4.1 million of CARES Act funding for the overtime program.

Beginning today, through the end of the year, there will be an additional 110 officers  deployed each day to saturate six hot spot areas that are driving the violent crime numbers.

Those areas are:

1. Westside
2. South Gessner
3. North Belt
4. Southeast
5. South Central
6. Midwest

Throughout those areas, HPD officers will be on proactive patrols to reduce crime and address the spike in homicides, shootings and other crimes the city has experienced during the pandemic.

Overall, violent crime is up 11% in Houston.

“Major cities across the nation are experiencing an increase in homicides, shootings and other crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “There is no denying the virus has contributed to anxiety and stress as people cope with job losses, feelings of isolation, illness or death of loved ones, children learning at home virtually and fear of the unknown.”

An Oct. 6 news article in the New York Times, reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has frayed all kinds of institutions and infrastructure that hold communities together, that watch over streets, that mediate conflicts, that simply give young people something to do. Programs devised to reduce gun violence and that proved effective have been upended by the pandemic.

“We’ll be relying on data to add more officers, more eyes, more visibility, and most importantly, more safety for the people of Houston,” said Chief Art Acevedo, Houston Police Department. “We are going to be watching on a daily basis and we will have tactical intelligence and move our resources as needed because we know displacement can occur.”

The City of Houston has worked in these unprecedented times to help people holistically. For instance, the Houston Health Department launched a mental  health hotline, the Mayor’s Office of Anti-Trafficking was expanded to include  domestic violence, to address the increase in domestic violence calls. The program includes a partnership with MAKR  Collective, an economic empowerment program for survivors with wrap around financial services. Through skills training we help survivors achieve financial independence.

The City has also provided two rental assistance packages worth more than $35 million for Houstonians having trouble paying their rent as a result of hardships created by the pandemic. In August, the Houston City Council passed the City’s Small Business Economic Relief Program (SBERP), which will be funded with $15 million of the City’s allocated CARES Act 2020 funds.