Authorities said three Houston police officers were shot, with the whole force dealing with a barricaded suspect on a Thursday afternoon.

The 31-year-old suspect fired at police from a vehicle as officers moved on him, according to a Fox News report.

The Houston police said the suspect had fled driving a white Mercedes-Benz vehicle.

Houston Police Department also said that the officers were shot in the 2100 block of McGowen Street around 2:30 p.m., as reported by KHOU 11 News.

The suspect was named Roland Caballero, with law enforcement noting that he was involved in a standoff on a Lockwood Drive resident. Caballero was also reportedly suffering a gunshot wound to his neck.

The car the police were chasing crashed on the edge of downtown, with surveillance video showing officers jumping from a patrol car and exchanging what seemed to sound like gunfire.

Stephen Hinson, who witnessed the incident, said that he was in his townhome when he heard "some type of a crash." He said he then heard popping noises, which he did not think were gunshots at first. However, it suddenly started getting closer and sounded like about 50 rounds went off.

Hinson then looked at his window and saw officers running. He then realized that there was an officer down right in front of his home.

The witness then went to the rooftop with some neighbors to see what was happening, wherein he said the area was swarmed by police officers quickly.

Houston police tweeted that the officers who were shot are all in stable condition and that they are being treated at Memorial Hermann Hospital.

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Shooting Involving Houston Police Officers

Caballero's shooting incident is the second incident this week, wherein a law enforcement officer was shot in Houston, according to an ABC News Go report.

Cpl. Charles Galloway of Harris County Constable Precinct 5 was shot and killed on Sunday when the deputy pulled over a car in southwest Houston.

The suspect was 51-year-old Oscar Rosales. He was arrested on Wednesday after fleeing to Mexico.

Rosales has been charged with capital murder in that shooting.

Underfunding of Police Departments

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday noted that the U.S. has seen a rise in crime over the last two years, pinning the blame on underfunding police departments, The National Review News reported.

Psaki claimed that U.S. President Joe Biden is working to focus federal law enforcement resources on fighting violent crime and has put "unprecedented" levels of funding on rescue plans to fund more police officers in cities.

Psaki said that the administration should be focusing on offering support to community policing programs when asked if there are any other strategies to fight the surge in murder rates.

Experts noted that staffing shortages from police retirements and resignations have triggered a wave of anti-police sentiment, bail reform, and declining arrests.

In 2021, at least 13 cities broke their homicide records, such as Portland, Oregon; Rochester, New York; Columbus, Ohio; and Austin, Texas, among others.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Team coverage: Suspect in shooting of 3 Houston police officers identified; SWAT standoff continues - from KHOU 11