[TX] Houston Police Officer Chowdhury free on bond after shooting his wife in the face

When police and emergency services responded to the call of a shooting just before 1 a.m. Monday they found the wife of a Houston Police officer had been shot in the face. An AR-15 assault rifle lay on the floor. She was rushed to a trauma center and into surgery, expected to live. Many are praying for her recovery and strength.“The officers attempted to gather the wife's statement before going into surgery; however, she was not willing to provide a statement ONCE SHE HEARD the officers were with the Houston Police Department,” only telling them that the shooting was unintentional. Her husband of 1 year, HPD Officer Galib Chowdhury, told police he accidentally shot his wife while protecting their apartment from an intruder. He was questioned and then arrested. Yesterday Chowdhury was charged in court with aggravated assault of a family member with serious bodily injury. His bond was set at $125,000, he bonded out, and the court issued a protective order in which Chowdhury cannot go within *200 feet of his wife (well within rifle-range, which can be 1000 yards). Chowdhury is relieved of duty but not officially fired, and is being investigated by the HPD Special Investigations Unit, Internal Affairs Division and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. The AR-15 was recovered from the apartment... [HPD Chief Troy] Finner said HPD doesn't issue rifles, but that it could be a rifle that was self-purchased and registered through the agency...

$125,000 BOND SET FOR HPD OFFICER WHO SAYS HE ACCIDENTALLY SHOT HIS WIFE DURING A BREAK-IN 
 June 13, 2023
[EXCERPTS] The Houston police officer accused of shooting his wife in the face told authorities it was an accident that happened while someone was breaking into the couple's apartment. Police don't believe that story... Officials say angry text messages sent by Chowdhury to his wife, Sadaf Iqbal, the night of the shooting and evidence in the couple's apartment lead them to believe this was no accident. Police say Chowdhury told them someone broke into the apartment, and as he fired at the suspect, his wife got in the way... When police looked at his wife's phone, they claim to have seen several angry messages sent to Iqbal earlier in the night. A pile of clothes on hangers were also found on the apartment floor with and a suitcase nearby... Officers say they also saw an AR-15 on the apartment floor... "The complainant was shot in the eyeball, right eyeball and a cheek bone fracture, and multiple fractures to her hand and fingers. Officers determined that the crime scene did not match the description of what allegedly happened"...  [Full article here]

COURT DOCS REVEAL NEW DETAILS ABOUT HPD OFFICER ACCUSED OF SHOOTING WIFE IN HER FACE
June 13, 2023
[EXCERPTS] The off-duty Houston police officer accused of shooting his wife in her face is currently being held on a $125,000 bond at the Harris County jail... Court documents state that Galib Waheed Chowdhury, 31, told investigators he shot his wife on accident after she got in the way of him shooting at an intruder... Detectives said Chowdhury's story didn't add up after they found no damage to the apartment and discovered demeaning text messages that were sent to his wife just before the shooting... "The officers attempted to gather the complainant's statement before going into surgery. However, she was not willing to provide a statement when she heard the officers are with Houston Police Department"... An AR-15-style rifle was recovered from the apartment during HPD's investigation. Chowdhury was immediately relieved of his duties and is expected back in court on Wednesday...  [Full article here]

HPD OFFICER ACCUSED OF SHOOTING WIFE IN FACE SAYS IT WAS ACCIDENTAL, WIFE REFUSES TO GIVE STATEMENT TO POLICE 
June 13, 2023
[EXCERPTS] ...[Houston police officer] Galib Waheed Chowdhury, 31, was charged with aggravated assault of a family member with serious bodily injury. A judge set his bond at $125,000... HPD and emergency officials with the Houston Fire Department responded to reports of the shooting at the Westerly Apartments located in the 10300 block of Clay Road at around 12:45 a.m... They arrived to find a 30-year-old woman, later identified as Chowdhury’s wife, suffering from gunshot wounds to the face and hand... Chowdhury told investigators the shooting was accidental... Chowdhury did not provide a description of the alleged suspect or say where the person went, and officers did not find any damage... Text messages Chowdhury allegedly sent to his wife before the shooting were shared during court. Prosecutors said he appeared upset and told her to pick up the phone. He called her a “b----” and wanted to know where she was... “The complainant stated to medical staff that her husband, the defendant, shot at her but that it was an accident”... Chowdhury has not been officially terminated. That decision is left up to the chief. [Full article here]

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT GALIB WAHEED CHOWDHURY, THE HOUSTON OFFICER ACCUSED OF SHOOTING WIFE IN FACE
June 13, 2023
[EXCERPTS] ...The following details were shared when Chowdhury appeared before a Harris County judge in probable cause court... Chowdhury reported the shooting and allegedly told the call taker he shot his wife while he was attempting to shoot someone who was breaking into their apartment... According to documents read in court, Chowdhury told the first responding officer, “We just got home. Apartment was open. Someone tried to break into the apartment. Someone got in. Tried to break in. I shot. She got in the way.” Later, he told another officer, “We had just gotten home about 30 minutes ago. The doors were unlocked. We were having a conversation. She went to open the door. I heard some loud boom. There was a voice I didn’t understand, I don’t know, and she got in the way”... Surveillance footage obtained from the leasing office showed that Chowdhury arrived home at 11:50 p.m. His wife arrived home at 12:27 a.m... “The officers attempted to gather the complainant’s statement before going into surgery; however, she was not willing to provide a statement once she heard the officers were with the Houston Police Department,” a clerk read aloud during the probable cause hearing. “The complainant stated to medical staff that her husband, the defendant, shot at her but that it was an accident”... She gave officers consent to review the contents of her cellphone... The following are some of the text messages Chowdhury allegedly sent his wife shortly before the shooting.
“Wow, sh*t wife.”
“Pick up, b****.”
“I need to know ETA.”
When officers met with Chowdhury at the police station to get a statement from him, Chowdhury asked for an attorney and refused to provide a statement... The incident is being investigated by the HPD Special Investigations Unit, Internal Affairs Division and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office... Investigators appear to believe the shooting could be a possible case of domestic violence. HPD Chief Troy Finner addressed the subject during a press conference... “Once you put that patch on and that badge on, you’re a police officer, and I expect you to conduct yourself at all times as a police officer. I’m very troubled on some things that we know now... I don’t want people to forget about the great, great work that thousands of officers do every day. And this the exception rather than the rule and I want to stand on that but at the same time I think it’s important for the public to know there’s accountability here at HPD.” [Full article here]

ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING? HPD OFFICER, HIS WIFE SAY IT WAS. INVESTIGATORS THINK OTHERWISE.
June 13, 2023
Updated: 5:29 AM CDT June 14, 2023
[EXCERPTS] ...According to court records, he made bail Tuesday night. He was due back in court on Wednesday at 9 a.m. A judge ordered Chowdhury to be on GPS monitoring as part of his bond conditions... According to what came out in court, Chowdhury called 911 claiming that he fired a rifle at an intruder inside he and his wife's Clay Road apartment but accidentally shot his 30-year-old wife in the face... Chowdhury is accused of sending "angry" texts to his wife before the shooting, according to a magistrate. Some of that exchange was read aloud in court... Before [HPD], he was a pharmacy technician up until 2017, according to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. According to a letter that was sent by the board, he gave up his license in order to avoid disciplinary action. The letter doesn't go into the allegations... Members of his family said they're devastated and are praying for everyone involved in the situation... Chowdhury's defense attorney, Nicole DeBorde, said the evidence will prove what really happened. "We believe this was, indeed, a terrible accident," DeBorde said... [Full article here] 

UPDATE:

NEW DOCS RELEASED ON HPD OFFICER ACCUSED OF SHOOTING WIFE IN FACE
[EXCERPTS] Houston police officer Galib Chowdhury's wife[Sadef Iqbal] initially told investigators he shot his wife, Sadaf Aqbal, in the face by accident... Both Chowdhury and Iqbal initially told investigators that the shooting was an accident. But Iqbal changed her story after Chowdhury was charged, saying she went along with the story because she was afraid Chowdhury's position as a police officer would prevent him from being charged.... officers found used syringes and doses of Clenbuterol, a stimulant drug "typically abused by bodybuilders and athletes" and "associated with significant adverse... neurological effects"... Side effects of Clenbuterol can include sweating, agitation and anxiety... His next court appearance is Aug. 22, with bond set at $125,000... [Full article here]

tags police officer involved domestic violence, oidv, intimate partner violence, abuse, law enforcement, cop, deputy, public safety, attempted homicide, lethal, texas state politics, terroristic, police tactics, weaponry, assault rifle, tactical training,