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DA probing Bellaire police shooting
The victim of a Bellaire police sergeant’s gunfire is in stable condition after surgery, but the Harris County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the early morning shooting that happened outside the man’s house in the 800 block of Woodstock Street on Wednesday.
The victim is identified as 23-year-old Robert Tolan, a Bellaire High School alumnus and son of retired pro baseball player Bobby Tolan.
His brother, Anthony Cooper, told ABC-13, the Examiners’ broadcast news partner, that he and Tolan were returning from picking up fast food at about 2 a.m. and noticed a car down the street with its headlights on.
“When we walked up the driveway, we noticed the car speeding up faster and they put on this spotlight and he (the officer) jumped out of the car and went into the grass with a gun and lighting shining in our face,” Cooper said. “We did not know it was a police officer. We just thought, ‘Who is this guy with this gun and his flashlight?’ And he didn’t say, ‘Hey, let me see some ID or anything.’”
According to Cooper’s account, the young men’s mother, Marian Tolan, came out of the house and argued with the officer. He said Tolan, who had been ordered to the ground, stood up at that point, and the officer opened fire.
Tolan was transported to Ben Taub Hospital and remains in the surgical intensive care unit.
Bellaire police met with D.A. investigators throughout the morning, and at midday, Assistant Chief Byron Holloway said he would issue a news release after vetting it through an attorney with the Texas Municipal League, the city's liability insurer.
A city spokeswoman identified the officer who fired as Sgt. Jeff Cotton, a 10-year veteran who formerly served as the department’s community relations liaison. Holloway said that Cotton was providing backup on the call.
Officers patrol alone in Bellaire, and the department is known for its rapid and heavy backup on any incident.
Initial statements from Bellaire police indicated that they were reacting to the suspicion of a stolen vehicle, but the Nissan SUV turned out to be registered to the younger Tolan and his father.
The younger Tolan played baseball at Bellaire High School and was drafted in June 2007 from Prairie View A&M University by the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team.
His father played for the Cinncinati Reds and coached minor league ball. The elder Tolan and his wife have owned the home on Woodstock for 14 years.
The victim is identified as 23-year-old Robert Tolan, a Bellaire High School alumnus and son of retired pro baseball player Bobby Tolan.
His brother, Anthony Cooper, told ABC-13, the Examiners’ broadcast news partner, that he and Tolan were returning from picking up fast food at about 2 a.m. and noticed a car down the street with its headlights on.
“When we walked up the driveway, we noticed the car speeding up faster and they put on this spotlight and he (the officer) jumped out of the car and went into the grass with a gun and lighting shining in our face,” Cooper said. “We did not know it was a police officer. We just thought, ‘Who is this guy with this gun and his flashlight?’ And he didn’t say, ‘Hey, let me see some ID or anything.’”
According to Cooper’s account, the young men’s mother, Marian Tolan, came out of the house and argued with the officer. He said Tolan, who had been ordered to the ground, stood up at that point, and the officer opened fire.
Tolan was transported to Ben Taub Hospital and remains in the surgical intensive care unit.
Bellaire police met with D.A. investigators throughout the morning, and at midday, Assistant Chief Byron Holloway said he would issue a news release after vetting it through an attorney with the Texas Municipal League, the city's liability insurer.
A city spokeswoman identified the officer who fired as Sgt. Jeff Cotton, a 10-year veteran who formerly served as the department’s community relations liaison. Holloway said that Cotton was providing backup on the call.
Officers patrol alone in Bellaire, and the department is known for its rapid and heavy backup on any incident.
Initial statements from Bellaire police indicated that they were reacting to the suspicion of a stolen vehicle, but the Nissan SUV turned out to be registered to the younger Tolan and his father.
The younger Tolan played baseball at Bellaire High School and was drafted in June 2007 from Prairie View A&M University by the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team.
His father played for the Cinncinati Reds and coached minor league ball. The elder Tolan and his wife have owned the home on Woodstock for 14 years.
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