NUTJOB SHOT DEAD AFTER STABBING HOUSTON COP

Officer stabbed in downtown Houston; partner fires and kills suspect, HPD says

A suspect is dead and a Houston officer is hospitalized after a downtown shooting on Sunday evening. 

 

By Lupita Villarreal, Ugochi Iloka and Jaime E. Galvan  

 

KHOU 11

Nov 23, 2025 

 

HOUSTON — A suspect is dead and a Houston police officer is hospitalized after a stabbing that led to an officer-involved shooting in downtown Houston on Sunday evening, according to police.

The call came in just before 7:30 p.m. on Milam near Congress, an area near several bars and restaurants in the Theater District. Officers were conducting a routine check at a CVS Pharmacy when a man walked in in crisis, speaking loudly. Police said officers engaged him and asked him to step outside.

According to HPD Chief Noe Diaz, the suspect became belligerent, and officers walked with him down the street. During the encounter, the situation escalated, and police say the man pulled a knife and stabbed Officer Joaquin Garza behind his left ear.

Officials said Garza’s partner then fired and killed the suspect. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said he had a criminal history, but details about prior offenses have not been released at this time.

Viewer video obtained by KHOU 11 shows officers coming out of what appears to be a parking garage moments after the stabbing. A second video appears to show officers providing medical aid to Garza on the ground.

Garza was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. Houston Police Officers' Union President Doug Griffith told KHOU 11’s Troy Kless that Garza is in good condition. According to Mayor John Whitmire, the officer has been with HPD for about 2½ years.

This marks the second officer-involved shooting in Houston within 24 hours. On Saturday night, police say an off-duty HPD officer was injured in a road-rage shooting while driving to work.

"Two nights in a row. It's disturbing that we had two officers with life-threatening injuries," Whitmire said.

The mayor added during his remarks Sunday night:

“Certainly the officer that took the life of the suspect, they do not plan on using their firearms when they leave the house each day, but they know their lives are at risk when they're out on the street.”

The investigation is ongoing.