A pursuit that began in Montgomery County Tuesday night ended in a Harris County neighborhood with one dead after police say the suspect pulled out a shotgun with a pistol grip and pointed it toward officers.
A neighbor said 45-year-old Gregory Scott Hartley had been staying with his grandmother for about six months and was “a very nice fellow.” The neighbor witnessed the entire incident and called it “unnerving.”
“First I heard sirens,” he said. “I came out of the garage. I saw Greg go by at a rapid clip, not 80 miles an hour, 70 miles an hour, but a rapid clip, and then I saw the police cars behind him.”
“He jumped the curb to get into the driveway, sat there for maybe a second,” The neighbor said. “(Hartley) exited the vehicle, had a weapon to his temple and was trying to get to the house. I don’t know who shot first. I can’t answer that. I don’t know if he shot himself. I just don’t know that.”
Deputy Thomas Gilliland, with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, said the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office notified Harris County they were in pursuit of a wanted felon, with an active warrant from Grimes County. Patrol deputies learned Hartley was wanted after he refused to pull over after committing a traffic violation at the intersection of Woodlands Parkway and FM 2978. He allegedly tried to ram three vehicles during the pursuit, endangering countless civilians.
“The pursuit came down to Harris County through Huffsmith Kohrville Road,” Gilliland said. “At that point, a City of Tomball police officer also was assisting the MCSO. They then ventured south onto 249, into Harris County.”
Gilliland says they proceeded to Northpointe Blvd., entering the neighborhood where Hartley had been staying.
“As they pulled into the neighborhood, he exited the 4-wheel drive truck that he was in, and was armed with a pistol grip shotgun,” he said. “(Hartley)then pointed the weapon at himself and ordered the (officers) to back off. At that point, he turned again and pointed the weapon at them.”
“Officers were fearing for their lives,” Gilliland said. “At that point they pointed their weapons at (Hartley), striking and killing him.”
Multiple shots were fired and it was not immediately known which officer fired the fatal shot or shots. No officers or bystanders were injured.
Gilliland said investigators were on-hand from the Harris County and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Offices, the Tomball Police Department, Texas Rangers, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Shoot Team. Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon and First-Assistant District Attorney Phil Grant also responded to the scene.
Shots were fired by a 20-year veteran of the Tomball Police Department, an 8-year veteran of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and a 7-year veteran of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
As of this writing, it was unclear whether Hartley had the firearm in his vehicle because he intended to commit “suicide by cop”, or whether he was simply so determined to stay out of jail that he was willing to go to extreme measures.
“People in desperate situations do desperate things,” Gilliland said.
Public Data shows Hartley had a lengthy criminal history spanning over three decades, including but not limited to Assault, Retaliation, Terroristic Threat Against Family / Household Member, Evading Arrest in a Motor Vehicle, and Fail to Identify Fugitive From Justice.
Proves my point thanks.
I agree. There are too many racists on this board.
Yeah like the word RACIST.
WAAAY over used. If everything is racist then nothing is.
If everyone who has an opinion based on a compilation of stats obtained by city, state and federal data reports are racists then no one is.
I agree with you little voice there are terms that can and are overused.
But in my opinion and maybe it’s just mine but saying that a person with a gun in there face has no fear is insane. Call it what you want it’s still going to end bad.
It’s a line that’s been overused by police information officers and its lost its meaning. They toss it around every time grandma groceries doesn’t immediately pull over to the side of the road for them. As one poster said, I don’t need convincing it’s already implied so stop using it.
They also use it when a guy points a loaded shotgun at them since they were really in fear of getting shot dead.
It makes no difference wether it’s a police officer a welder or store clerk. When a gun held by anyone much less a whack job committing multiple felonies points a gun at you at that point any rational thinking person would be in fear of his or her life. It’s just we hear the term used more often in regards to police shootings. Create any PC term you want but when the “shots fired” rings out over the radio there’s fear for life at that moment.
it would have been much better if this suicidal felon would have just killed himself. He’d be dead either way. Now he’s put law enforcement officers in a position to defend themselves from future possible litigation witch in this case is very unlikely but now we have a society that in part hates cops and law enforcement. So you just never know after you pull the trigger regardless of justification at that moment of ” fear” how it will all shake out.
not to mention the what ifs and PTS that comes with killing a man. It’s hard in everyone and families on both sides.
Thank GOD the thin blue line didn’t need the thin red line. And the felon is flat lined.
“Fearing for their lives” isn’t a “line”. They are literally fearing for their own lives or the lives of others. Wouldn’t you be fearing for your life if someone who is crazy enough to run from the police and disregard human lives in the process pointed a gun at you?
Yes he is white and he is my cousin so don’t talk shit please
Oh no hopefully he was white! Cause I don’t want to hear about this ever again.
Glad the selfish idiot wasn’t able to take anyone out with him. Good riddance.
sure is odd the witness failed to mention he pointed the gun at police, or maybe he didn’t forget to mention something that never happened
I don’t need to be convinced. Rather than say “feared for their lives”, say: “they were placed in danger and fired upon the armed suspect resulting in his death”. In the past several months I have only seen two police shootings that were not right. One was in South Carolina when the suspect was running away and shot in the back, and the other was the homeless guy on LA’s Skid Row who was shot to death (by a black officer) while he was on the ground.
If the guy pointed a gun at cops then he’s bought and paid for however I really wish they would stop using the “fearing for their lives” line. It’s old and worn out and makes them look automatically guilty of something. Just say what the guy did then say officers shot him or something like that. “Fearing for their lives” is equivalent to the “no comment” given to the media.