HOUSTON, TX – The hunt for the man accused of killing a prominent Houston cardiologist in broad daylight ended Friday when he killed himself after being confronted by Houston Police officers. Joseph Pappas was armed and wearing a bulletproof vest when an officer saw him near the Jewish Community Center early Friday.
“This is our suspect,” said Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo. “He committed suicide when he was confronted by two members of the Houston Police Department.”
Pappas was initially spotted by a member of the Houston Parks Board who was working near Braes Bayou to deter vandals in the area, Acevedo said. When he tried to confront Pappas and asked why he was there, Pappas walked away and dropped his wallet. The man found the wallet and when he checked the identification, he recognized Pappas and called police, Acevedo said.
The first officer arrived at about 9:30 a.m. and saw Pappas near Braes Bayou, and tried to take him into custody. Acevedo said the officer pulled his weapon and ordered Pappas to raise his hands, but Pappas refused.
When the officer started to circle around, another officer arrived and that’s when Pappas raised the gun to his head and killed himself.
“I am very thankful that this suspect committed suicide,” Acevedo said. “Normally, you don’t put on a bullet proof vest when you’re thinking about suicide. He was a very dangerous person.”
Pappas was the subject of a manhunt that began on July 20 when police said he acted on a 20-year grudge he held against Dr. Mark Hausknecht, and shot him to death as he rode his bicycle down a busy downtown street. Hausknecht, who treated President George H.W. Bush after he left office, was treating Pappas’ mother when she died during surgery.
Police announced Tuesday that Pappas had been identified as a suspect in the murder, and issued a search warrant for his home. Acevedo said the next day that evidence found in the home linked Pappas to the crime.
The investigation revealed that Pappas, a 30-year law enforcement veteran, sent notarized documents to a friend in Ohio that deeded his home to her the day before the shooting. In the days following the murder, investigators learned Pappas tried to sell weapons, body armor and ammunition on a popular online site.
The police returned to his Westbury neighborhood Thursday night when neighbors called to report suspicious activity at the Pappas home. SWAT officers arrived and conducted a thorough search, but didn’t find Pappas.
Hours later, police confronted Pappas in a grassy field near Braes Bayou and tried to take him into custody when he killed himself.
“I am convinced that if we had not had that second officer arrive, we might have had a shootout,” Acevedo said.
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Image: HPD
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