A woman was shot by an FBI agent Thursday evening after allegedly threatening the agent with a machete in southwest Houston, according to the FBI.
The shooting happened around 5:30 p.m. near the intersection of Milan Drive and East Anderson Road, in the parking lot of the Del Papa Food Store.
FIRST REPORT: Federal agent involved in shooting outside Del Papa Food Store; Woman hospitalized
FBI officials confirmed that an agent was conducting authorized law enforcement activity in the area when the woman, armed with a machete, approached and threatened him. The agent then fired his weapon, striking the woman.
She was taken to a local hospital. Her condition has not been released. The FBI said the agent was not physically harmed.
Several eyewitnesses told KPRC 2 News they saw the woman holding a machete before the shooting.
Amos Khan, who works part-time at his father’s gas station, was present when an FBI agent shot a woman Thursday evening in south Houston. The shooting, which took place near the intersection of Milan Drive and East Anderson Road, is now under investigation by the FBI.
Khan recalled seeing the scene unfold when he arrived at the gas station. “I just saw a bunch of cops all the way lined up till there. And more coming,” he said. “That’s pretty much it. And then I started taping it off.”
He left the station briefly and returned about 15 minutes later after receiving a call from his stepmother. By that time, the woman had already been shot and was being loaded into an ambulance. “By the time I got back, she was shot, they were putting her in the ambulance and left.”
Khan recognized the woman, saying she came to the gas station regularly. “She comes here every so often,” he explained, adding that on the day of the shooting, she had made a purchase. “She bought some alcohol and that’s pretty much it.”
When asked about the woman’s machete, Khan said he hadn’t seen it closely, but speculated that it might have been for self-defense. “Not really, but I assume it’s just self-defense.”
The aftermath of the shooting left the area in disarray, with Khan mentioning that the street was closed off, preventing vehicles from entering or leaving the area. “The biggest downside was the whole street was closed. The entryway to the mobile homes was closed, so no one could get in or out. And some of the cars were stuck here for a couple of hours because of the whole procedures and stuff.”
Khan also recalled seeing the woman with the machete when she came into the store. “She just bought and she left. And she had the machete with her at the time?” he confirmed. “Yes. How big would you say that was? Um, if I had to assume probably around this big was the blade and the handle was this big, so roughly two and a half feet to three feet.”
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and the FBI has not released further details at this time.
In line with FBI policy, the agency’s Inspection Division will conduct an independent and objective investigation of the incident.
The FBI released the following statement regarding the incident:
“FBI Houston is on location in the 13000 block of Milan Drive in south Houston responding to an agent-involved shooting. Preliminary information at this time is that on Thursday, April 17, at approximately 5:30 p.m., an FBI Houston agent was at the intersection of Milan Dr and East Anderson Rd conducting authorized law enforcement activity when a woman armed with a machete threatened him. In response, the agent fired his weapon. The woman was taken to a local hospital. The agent was not physically harmed. The scene is currently being processed by the FBI’s Evidence Response Team who will be on-site for several hours. Per FBI policy, FBI’s Inspection Division will conduct an independent and objective investigation of the incident. To protect the investigation’s integrity, no more details will be released at this time.”
