By Associated Press - Sunday, March 1, 2020

HOUSTON (AP) - A man was fatally shot by a deputy during a Houston area confrontation on Sunday after he ignored requests to put down a gun and instead pointed it at officers, authorities said.

The man had been stopped by deputies after he had been seen leaving a scene about a mile away where authorities found a heavily damaged vehicle around 10 a.m. just northeast of Houston, said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Once he was stopped, the man began waving around a pistol he had and started pointing it at his head, saying he didn’t want to go back to jail, Gonzalez said.

Deputies tried to deescalate the situation and get him to put down the weapon but he ignored the commands and pointed the weapon at officers, Gonzalez said.

One deputy, an eight-year veteran, fired his weapon three times, hitting the man. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Gonzalez said no deputies were hurt and officials are investigating the shooting.

The man’s name was not immediately released by authorities.

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