Two Attorney General's Officers and a Sheriff's Deputy Shot Serving a Warrant in Northeast Harris County - All Recovering, Paxton Says

Two officers from the Texas Attorney General's Fugitive Apprehension Unit and a Harris County sheriff's deputy were shot and wounded this afternoon while serving an arrest warrant in Northeast Harris County, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in an official statement released by his office. The attorney general's office released no further details about the suspect or the circumstances of the shooting in the statements read by this desk.

Paxton named the two wounded state officers: Captain Wes Hensley and Sergeant Mark Rychen, both of the Fugitive Apprehension Unit in his office. A deputy from the Harris County Sheriff's Department was also shot; the sheriff's deputy was not named in the attorney general's releases. In an earlier statement the same afternoon, the office said the three wounded officers had been transported to a local hospital and were receiving treatment, and that it would release no further information at that time out of respect for the officers and their families and for those still engaged in what it called a very serious situation in Northeast Harris County.

“These brave and courageous law enforcement officers were fulfilling their call to duty to apprehend a known criminal with a dangerous past,” Paxton said. “Thankfully, all of the injured law enforcement officers appear to be recovering well this evening.” The attorney general asked Texans to pray for those recovering, their families, and the men and women in law enforcement.

The attorney general's releases do not name the suspect, do not say whether the suspect was taken into custody, and do not give a specific location beyond Northeast Harris County. Those details have not been released by officials, and this desk will update the file when the attorney general's office or the sheriff's office releases them.