Man fatally shoots Texas officer working security at mall

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas deputy constable working an off-duty security job at a Houston mall was fatally shot by a man who gained control of the officer’s own gun, police said. The suspect was shot by police and died at a hospital.

Deputy Neil Adams was working a second job Thursday afternoon at PlazAmericas mall in Houston when he was shot by a man in 30s, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said.

Authorities are still investigating what led to the altercation. Finner said the suspect ran to the mall’s food court where he was shot by two Houston police officers. The man, whose name has not been released, died later Thursday at a Houston hospital.

Adams had worked as a deputy constable in nearby San Jacinto County, north of Houston.

San Jacinto County Precinct 1 Constable Roy Rogers said Adams became an officer in 2012 and previously worked for the sheriff’s department. Adams was the county’s environmental officer, Rogers said.

“We lost one of our heroes. He was a good man,” Rogers said. “He worked hard to take care of his family, to take care of the constituents of our county.”