The family of Tony Underwood says they’re in the dark. After a Houston police officer shot the 29-year-old Wednesday night, relatives say they’ve received little information, just that he recently got out of surgery, his organs are failing, and he’s now facing criminal charges.
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“I’m hurt. I’m tired. And I wanna see my son,” said Tony’s mother, Patricia Underwood, outside Ben Taub Hospital. “I don’t know if he’s dead or alive up in there.”
The shooting was caught on cell phone video. A voice in the background cries out, “Oh they shot him. They shot my cousin, he on the ground.”
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Tony’s brother, Tom Underwood, stood with other family members Thursday afternoon, frustration building.
“He just got out of surgery. They said all his organs were failing,” Tom said. “We can’t even get an update, man. It don’t make no sense.”
The family says they’ve been trying to get in contact with the Houston Police Department for days.
“We’ve been reaching out to HPD... trying to talk to a captain all day yesterday,” Patricia added. “Nobody is reaching out to us. Don’t nobody give a damn about my brother. Why? Because he’s not a successful Black man?”
HPD tells a different story.
In an off-camera conversation, Chief Noe Diaz called the situation tragic but said the officers involved believed Underwood was a threat. He added that body camera footage from the shooting will be released within 30 days, per department policy.
When asked why the family believes Tony was holding a water bottle instead of a weapon when he was shot, Chief Diaz’s response was: “It’s because the family wasn’t informed.”
Tony’s cousin, Sherika Underwood, recalls seeing officers on the scene handling an item she says didn’t look like a weapon.
“They had a shirt wrapped around the water bottle,” she said. “And I said, ‘What is that?’ The officer said, ‘This is the water bottle the suspect had.’”
During our interview, an HPD detective called the family and confirmed Tony has been charged.
“Has he been charged yet with anything?” one family member asked.
“Yes,” the detective replied. “He’s been charged with aggravated assault against a public servant, evading in a motor vehicle, and unlawful carrying of a firearm by a felon.”
When asked why the aggravated assault charge was filed, the detective said, “He pulled a gun on an officer.”
“Did y’all recover the weapon off my brother?” another family member asked.
“Yes,” the detective said. “It was a handgun.”
As Tony remains hospitalized and his condition remains critical, the Underwood family says they won’t stop pushing for answers — and justice.
“He’s not just a suspect. He’s our son. He’s our brother,” Tom said. “And he deserves to be treated like a human being.”
