An overnight SWAT standoff in a Houston suburb began after the suspect’s father reported to Stafford police that his son had committed murder. It concluded hours later with the suspect dying from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The suspect, 35-year-old Adrian Mercado, opened fire on police upon their arrival at approximately 10 p.m., striking an officer’s radio attached to his vest, KHOU reported.
“He actually stayed on the scene for a while; he did not want to leave,” said Stafford Police Lt. Luciano Lopez. “He wanted to see it through to the end. He wasn’t injured, so I commend him for trying to see the job through.”
Police discovered the body of 32-year-old Thomas Goodson in the backyard, wrapped in a blanket and covered with plywood. The nature of the relationship between Mercado and Goodson, as well as the motive for the killing, remains unknown.
Mercado reportedly fired at police periodically for at least an hour before a SWAT team was called in, KTRK said.
“The line of fire was toward Stafford Road. There’s no homes that way, just an open field,” Lopez said.
Police said Mercado had a warrant for aggravated robbery, but it’s not clear why he had not been arrested.
