A deputy constable in Harris County, Texas, who was shot four times late Wednesday in what police described as an apparent ambush is expected to recover, police said.
Deputy Alden Clopton had stopped to help another deputy with a traffic stop in the Midtown part of Houston when he was shot, said May Walker, constable for Harris County’s Precinct 7. Walker said Clopton was leaning into the other deputy’s car when he was shot in the back.
“It was virtually an ambush, is what it was,” Walker said during a briefing with reporters on Thursday morning.
Authorities have a “person of interest” they are speaking with, she said, but she was unable to provide any further information about a possible motive.
Clopton, an 11-year-veteran of Precinct 7, underwent hours of surgery early Thursday. Police had said that one bullet was lodged near his heart, while others had injured his abdomen.
Standing outside the hospital where Clopton was being treated, Walker said that she was relieved to announce good news.
“He’s in critical care, but he’s doing well,” Walker said. “It’s going to be a long recovery, but we think he’s going to be okay.”
Clopton was wearing a bulletproof vest when he was shot, which may have saved his life, Walker said.
This shooting came as the number of police officers fatally shot has spiked so far this year over last year. And last year in the same region, a Harris County sheriff’s deputy was fatally shot while at a gas station.
An Austin police officer was shot and injured Thursday morning while serving a warrant with a SWAT team, according to that department. That officer is in stable condition and was taken to a hospital.
Clopton was on duty when he stopped to help another deputy with a traffic stop. They had finished the traffic stop “and those parties moved on,” so Clopton was leaning into the deputy’s passenger window to tell her how to turn back on an audio feature in the car, Walker said.
“And as he was leaning in the car, instructing her how to get the audio on, he was shot in the back,” Walker said.
The other deputy jumped out of the car and fired one round at the assailant, described as a man dressed in all black, but the man ran away, Walker said.
It was not immediately clear if the shooting was related to the traffic stop.
Kese Smith, a spokesman for the Houston police, said during a briefing after the shooting a man matching the description of the shooting suspect later turned up at a fire station in Houston. The man was detained and speaking with authorities on Thursday.
Walker said that Clopton comes from a family with strong law enforcement ties, describing how several of his relatives work for different law enforcement agencies. Clopton’s wife is an officer with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
“They’re doing as well as possible,” Walker said of Clopton’s family. “When your husband was shot and you’ve got five kids, you’re not doing that well. But she’s handling it awfully well.”
