One suspect in Houston shooting incident has ties to Mississippi

MACON, Miss. (WCBI) – One of the suspects killed during an incident where five Houston, Texas police officers were wounded has ties to our area.

Earlier this week police officers went to a home to serve a warrant where Rhogena Nicholas and Dennis Tuttle were living.

We learned Tuesday that Nicholas once lived in Macon and graduated from Central Academy.

Nicholas graduated from Central Academy just over 40 years ago in 1978.

That’s also the last time many of her classmates and childhood friends saw her.

For many, when they saw and heard about what happened in Texas, a sense of heartbreak and disbelief began to set in.

“We went to school together all the way through school. We graduated from Central Academy here in Macon,” said former classmate Mark Battle.

A sweet, loving and outgoing person, that’s how Mark Battle remembered his classmate Rhogena Nicholas.

Her dad was a dentist here for a long time,” said Battle. “I can remember he would fill in some of my teeth back in 1965 so that’s how long it’s been, it’s been a long time.”

It’s been over 40 years to be exact since Battle last saw Nicholas.

He says he was shocked to hear the about the circumstances surrounding Nicholas’s death

It all unfolded late Monday evening when more than a dozen officers arrived at Nicholas’s Houston, Texas home to serve a narcotics warrant.

Nicholas and her husband Dennis Tuttle were inside the home.

Houston Police Department told CBS affiliate KHOU that Tuttle fired at officers and Nicholas tried to disarm an officer. Four under cover officers were shot and one suffered a knee injury.

Both Nicholas and Tuttle were killed.

“She was just your average person. When I heard the news this morning it just floored me, I didn’t know anything. It’s like a totally different person because that’s not what she was when she was growing up to me. I just couldn’t believe it.”

All five officers who were shot were taken to the hospital.

Two officers are in critical condition.

Two others were discharged, another was in good condition.

All of the officers are expected to make full recovery