HPD sergeant killed in east Houston shooting, suspect in custody

HOUSTON - A Houston police officer has been shot in the 7400 block of Avenue I in east Houston, and has died. He was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital.

32-year-old Sgt. Christopher Brewster was pronounced dead at 6:29 p.m.

Chief Art Acevedo confirmed that HPD has recovered a second firearm believed to have been tossed by the suspect. The chief also confirmed that Sgt. Brewster was wearing his bulletproof vest. 

At 5:47 p.m. a domestic violence call came from the 7400 block of Avenue I with the victim reporting a male in possession of two firearms. Police arrived minutes later to find that the victim and suspect were not at the location. Sgt. Brewster spotted them walking along Avenue L and moved to make contact with them.

Upon exiting his vehicle, he came under fire from a sole male suspect, who fired multiple rounds. Sgt. Brewster pulled his weapon for protection and relayed suspect information to other officers before being taken by ambulance. 

The suspect in custody has been identified as 25-year-old Arturo Solis, who was armed with a semi-automatic pistol. He has a lengthy criminal history, including an assault charge in 2015 for assaulting a family member. His entire record can be seen below.

Those in the community are remembering and honoring the sergeant, a nine-year veteran.

"I want to be very mindful of the service that Sgt. Christopher Brewster gave to the city of Houston," said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "Just nine months ago, he was promoted to sergeant. He performed his job extremely well in an exemplary fashion. And today and in days to come, years to come we will honor him as a hero."

"When we talk about Chris obviously he is going to be remembered as a great man and a great husband, but I want everyone to know he was a true crime fighter," said President of the Houston Police Officers Union Joe Gamaldi. "Truest sense of those words. He was a crime fighter at his core. He was always going to help the community, he was always going to protect the community and that exactly how he passed he was protecting the community that he loves."

Police officers escorted Sgt. Brewster's body from Memorial Hermann to the Medical Examiner's office on Saturday night.