Two men were fatally shot during a police confrontation in Houston following an overnight robbery in Houston, police said.
Law enforcement officials, who were involved in a joint task force, were investigating a vehicle they believed were related to other robberies in the Harris County and Fort Bend areas, police said.
The task force saw four male suspects rob the Walgreens, police said.
The force attempted to confront the men and they fled the scene, which prompted a short police chase, police said. It ended in a shootout near an apartment complex where several shots were fired.
One of the men died and the other died at a hospital.
No bystanders were injured. One officer may have minor injuries from broken glass, KPRC reported.
"This has been a violent crew that has been on a bit of a crime spree for the last two weeks or so," Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said to KPRC. "I believe they are responsible for about eight robberies and it was our belief they would continue to do this. This is dangerous work (deputies) are involved in and for us, at the end of the day, we are happy none of our law enforcement officers were hurt."
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The Texas Department of Public Safety said they had been investigating the four men for at least two weeks.
"This task force, they deal with violent individuals almost on a daily basis,” Sgt. Stephen Woodard said at a news conference. “When we are talking about these violent individuals that are going into establishments and robbing them, it’s an unfortunate situation for both parties. We are keeping the families in mind, of the deceased, because again, someone has lost a child and we want to keep that in mind."
The two other men are in custody at Fort Bend County Jail.
