Posted on 05/05/2003 11:32:35 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
May 5, 2003, 11:38AM
A Harris County deputy constable fatally shot a man who opened fire early Sunday morning when officers tried to serve an arrest warrant at a home where he was staying.
Johnny J. Roth III, 23, was shot and killed about 2:30 a.m. at a northwest Harris County apartment complex at 300 N. Vista Drive.
A Precinct 4 deputy constable was slightly injured in the gunfire when he was grazed by a bullet, possibly fired by one of the other officers at the scene, investigators said.
"One of the bullets came through the wall and struck the officer in the left hip area," said Precinct 4 Chief Deputy Jim Sumner. "It was minor, thank God. It just caused bruising. It didn't even pierce the skin."
The deputy stayed at the scene and did not require major medical attention, Sumner said.
Roth and another man at the apartment, Billy McCoy, 24, were wanted for questioning in the December 2002 disappearance of a Wichita Falls woman.
After learning the two men were considering fleeing to Mexico, Wichita Falls police detectives asked authorities in Tomball to take McCoy into custody on an outstanding warrant from Montgomery County for violating his probation on a driving while intoxicated conviction.
Records show both men have lived in Tomball in the past.
Tomball police asked Precinct 4 constables to make the arrest when they learned the apartment complex was out of their jurisdiction. Sumner said one of the four constables wore civilian clothes and announced that he was delivering a pizza.
"The trick is to get him (the resident) to answer the door," Sumner said. "Everybody answers the door for the pizza guy."
A constable grabbed McCoy when he came to the front door, investigators said, but was dragged into the line of fire when the man tried to escape back inside.
Roth was inside the apartment, possibly lying on the floor just left of the front door. He was armed with a .357 revolver and fired two shots before being killed by the constables, sheriff's investigators said.
McCoy was being held by Harris County Sheriff's homicide investigators later Sunday and will be turned over to Wichita Falls police. The names of the deputy constables involved in the shooting will not be released until their families are notified, Sumner said.
Information about the missing woman was not available Sunday, a dispatcher with the Wichita Falls Police Department said.
The case is being investigated by the Harris County Sheriff's homicide division and the Harris County District Attorney's office -- standard practice in any officer-involved shooting.
HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: Local & State
This article is: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/1896085
A Precinct 4 deputy constable was slightly injured in the gunfire when he was grazed by a bullet, possibly fired by one of the other officers at the scene, investigators said.
"One of the bullets came through the wall and struck the officer in the left hip area," said Precinct 4 Chief Deputy Jim Sumner. "It was minor, thank God. It just caused bruising. It didn't even pierce the skin."
The deputy stayed at the scene and did not require major medical attention, Sumner said.
Harris Co. constable fatally shoots man
05/05/2003
HOUSTON – A man wanted for questioning by authorities in Wichita Falls was fatally shot by a Harris County deputy constable trying to serve an arrest warrant.
Johnny J. Roth III, 23, died early Sunday at an apartment complex in Tomball when the deputy constable shot him. Police did not release the constable's name. Tomball is about 30 miles northwest of Houston.
Police said Roth and another man in the apartment were wanted for questioning in the December 2002 disappearance of a Wichita Falls woman.
Upon learning the men may be about to flee to Mexico, Wichita Falls police asked Tomball authorities to take Roth and 24-year-old Billy McCoy into custody. The arrest warrant on Roth was for violating his probation on a driving while intoxicated conviction.
Precinct 4 Chief Deputy Jim Sumner said one of four constables who went to the apartment claimed they were delivering a pizza. "The trick is to get him to answer the door," Sumner said. "Everybody answers the door for the pizza guy."
McCoy came to the front door, then fired two shots from a .357 revolver as he escaped back inside.
One of the constables returned fire, killing Roth.
A deputy constable was grazed by a bullet in the shootout. It was unclear if the bullet was fired by one of the other officers or McCoy.
"One of the bullets came through the wall and struck the officer in the left hip area," Sumner said. "It was minor, thank God. It just caused bruising. It didn't even pierce the skin."
McCoy was being held by Harris County Sheriff's homicide investigators and will be turned over to Wichita Falls authorities.
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