Police gunfire damaged University of Houston student Abigail Trujillo’s Nissan in a standoff; repairs were estimated at $20,000. After Houston denied her claim citing immunity, Mayor John Whitmire said he arranged another car for her and would review innocent-bystander claims.
HPD said the standoff began after an off-duty officer spotted a vehicle reported stolen in Fort Bend County and linked to an assault. Police said officers believed Jamarcus Oneal Spates extended his arm in a shooting position; a sergeant and eight officers fired, grazing him. Spates was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and HPD’s Special Investigations Unit, Internal Affairs Division and the Harris County DA’s Office were reviewing the shooting. Trujillo estimated her Nissan was struck about 40 times and paid $200 to retrieve it from impound about a week after it was towed as evidence.
Texas’s 1980 Steele v. City of Houston ruling held that governmental immunity did not automatically bar an innocent owner’s state constitutional claim for compensation after police damaged property. In May, the Fifth Circuit relied on Steele to uphold a judgment for Vicki Baker, whose home was damaged in a 2020 standoff; no court has ruled on Trujillo’s claim. ABC13 reported about 300 HPD-related property-damage claims from 2024 through early 2025, with roughly one-quarter paid. Whitmire said the city would review claims already filed, but reopening denials and setting payment criteria remain unresolved.
