A deadly overnight standoff in the Stafford area has left two people dead, including the suspect, after hours of gunfire and a massive police response, according to the Stafford Police Department.
The incident began shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday when a man walked into the lobby of the Stafford Police Department and told officers that his son, 35-year-old Adrian Mercado, had killed someone at a home on Lawrence Lane, near Stafford Road. The father warned police that his son was armed and dangerous.
Responding officers went to the home, where they discovered the body of 32-year-old Thomas Goodson. His remains were found wrapped in a blanket and concealed under plywood in the backyard, investigators said.
As Stafford police and a Missouri City K-9 Unit attempted to enter the house through the front door, Mercado opened fire. One officer was struck, but his radio deflected the bullet, sparing him from injury. The officer, who has been with the department for two years, remained at the scene and refused to leave, according to Stafford PD Lt. Luciano Lopez.
“He actually stayed on scene for a while; he did not want to leave,” Lopez said. “He wanted to see it through to the end. He wasn’t injured, so I commend him for trying to see the job through.”
Gunfire continued intermittently for about 90 minutes, with bullets reportedly flying over responding officers’ heads. A multi-agency SWAT team was called in, and the standoff stretched into the early morning hours.
When officers finally made entry, they found Mercado dead inside the home from what investigators believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Lt. Lopez said Mercado had a “lengthy history” with the Stafford Police Department and was wanted on an aggravated robbery warrant at the time of the standoff.
Authorities are still working to determine the relationship between Mercado and Goodson.
The incident remains under investigation.
