Police pull evidence from Fifth Ward home after standoff with man accused of shooting 3 HPD officers

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Investigators are examining the aftermath at a home in the Fifth Ward Friday after an hourslong standoff with a suspect accused of shooting three police officers near downtown Houston.

Roland Caballero opened fire on the officers following a chase, according to police sources. He was taken to the hospital after police said he suffered a gunshot wound to the neck.

Two of the three officers shot are now out of the hospital, recovering at home, according to police.

Caballero has multiple prior charges in Harris County, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Friday morning, Houston police and Houston fire officials were seen rummaging through evidence at the home in the 1800 block of Lockwood, where the suspect was barricaded.

The house was in bad condition. All of the windows had been busted out and there was even a large hole in the side, seemingly from officers’ attempts to get to the suspect during the standoff.

At one point, fire officials could be seen using tools to break open what appeared to be a gun safe.

Investigators were bagging evidence at the scene.

WATCH: Surveillance video shows the moment gunfire was exchanged between officers and suspect

It all started at about 2:42 p.m. Thursday in the 1500 block of Tralle Street, as officers were responding to a disturbance call. Police said Caballero took off from the scene as soon as he spotted the officers.

According to Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, Caballero crashed out at McGowen Street and Hutchins, where he immediately began shooting at the officers as they arrived.
ABC13’s Ted Oberg analyzed the shooting and the possible weapon used in the incident. We learned from HPD that the pistol Caballero used may have had a small switch added. Because of this, it turned his ordinary Glock handgun, which fires one bullet every time the trigger is pulled, into a machine gun.

According to evidence recovered from investigators, more than 80 shots were fired.

Officers managed to return fire at Caballero. Once he was out of the car, Caballero carjacked a white Mercedes Benz at gunpoint, Finner said.

WATCH: Video shows suspect carjack woman after firing at officers

That’s when he led officers on another chase, which ended at the home on Lockwood. There, Caballero barricaded for hours, but eventually surrendered and was taken into custody at about 7 p.m., according to Finner.

The officers shot at the scene on McGowen Street were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. One of the officers was shot in the arm, a second was shot in the leg, and the third was shot in the foot, authorities said.

ORIGINAL REPORT: Suspect accused of shooting 3 officers now in custody after hourslong standoff, HPD says

The injured officers were identified as 35-year-old Officer Gadson, 32-year-old Officer Hayden, and 28-year-old Officer Alvarez.

In an update Friday morning, HPD said Officers Gadson and Hayden have both been released from the hospital. Officer Alvarez is still hospitalized but is in stable condition, police said.

“I want everybody, all our leaders, no more excuses, everybody take an active role and get intentional and do whatever you can do to fight gun violence,” Finner said during a briefing Thursday evening. “It’s not a difficult thing.”

Finner’s call for action comes as this is the second shooting involving law enforcement in the Houston area within a week. Over the weekend, Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Corporal Charles Galloway was shot and killed in an ambush attack while conducting a traffic stop.

The suspect in Galloway’s murder, 51-year-old Oscar Rosales, was taken into custody on Wednesday after he was found at a hotel in Ciudad de Acuña, Mexico, according to U.S. Marshal Deputy Cameron Welch.

WATCH: 3 policías baleados después de persecución en el centro de Houston

SEE ALSO: ABC13 exclusive video shows chase suspect crash near downtown and injure 3 officers in shootout