In The News

Cop: Man shot by Houston trucker was walking dog, not slashing tires

A 58-year-old man who was shot by a trucker on Tuesday night was out walking his dog, not attempting to slash tires, according to a spokesman for the Harris County Sheriff’s Department.

The victim, whose name has not been released, was shot once in the buttocks as he attempted to flee from truck driver Douglas Saint-Louis, 51, of Houston. Saint-Louis is facing a felony charge of aggravated assault after he told police he opened fire on the man because he believed the victim was attempting to slash his trailer tires.

“(Saint-Louis) was sitting in the cab of his rig, when he observed a male standing behind the trailer portion,” sheriff’s department spokesman Thomas Gilliland said. “He got out of the cab, walked back to the trailer and confronted the male, identifying that he had a gun and identifying himself as a concealed handgun license (holder).”

According to the sheriff’s office, Saint-Louis told authorities he was sleeping in the cab of his truck because his tires had been slashed the previous evening. He was parked on a side street approximately four miles from his home. The side street is across from a residential neighborhood.

Saint-Louis’ 2009 Freightliner was at the intersection of West Little York Road and Langham Way Drive, a four-way intersection next to a residential area on the outskirts of Houston.

When the victim attempted to flee, Saint-Louis gave chase and fired a warning shot in the air before firing a second shot that struck the victim in the posterior.

Authorities were able to interview the shooting victim at the hospital. The man, who lives in the nearby, told the officers he had been walking his dog. The breed of the dog was unknown to Gilliland, but he said officers had received no information indicating the dog was aggressive or posing a threat to Saint-Louis at the time of the shooting incident.

Gilliland said Saint-Louis told police he planned to stay the night in the cab of his truck, after a tire was flattened the previous night. He also reportedly told police he observed the victim near his tires when he went to confront him.

Gilliland said Saint-Louis is a Texas Concealed Handgun License holder, and he approached the victim with a .380 Ruger pistol. The man near the tires fled, and Saint-Louis reportedly gave chase for about 100 feet, firing a warning shot in the air, and then firing a second shot that struck the victim in the posterior.

“In his mind, he was going to confront whoever was trying to damage his rig,” Gilliland said. “It seems to be a point of mistaken identity at this time.”

Police found the dog and a witness who confirmed the victim had been walking with the dog in a nearby field.

Copyright © 2013 landlinemag.com. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from landlinemag.com