<p>HOUSTON &mdash; A former Houston police officer has pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a 2019 drug raid that killed both homeowners.</p>
<p>Steven Bryant admitted in his guilty plea Tuesday that he lied and obstructed the resulting investigation in the raid, the <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/harding-street-drug-raid-guilty-plea-steven-bryant-16216369.php">Houston Chronicle</a> reported.</p>
<p>His plea was the first time a law enforcement officer connected to the raid has pleaded guilty or been convicted.</p>
<p>Bryant was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-tx-state-wire-us-news-ap-top-news-houston-6df6a7a55ad444beb62d9b0b397708ce">charged</a> last August with tampering with a government record. He was accused of providing false information in a report after the raid that supported the story of his partner, Gerald Goines, about a confidential informant.</p>
<p>Goines was also charged with two counts of felony murder after police accused him of lying in a search warrant about having a confidential informant buying heroin at the home. He later acknowledged there was no informant and that he bought the drugs himself, authorities said.</p>
<p>The fabricated drug deal was part of the justification for the raid, which ended in gunfire that killed Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas and injured five police officers.</p>
<p>After Tuesday’s hearing, Bryant’s attorney, Andy Drumheller, declined to discuss the case. In a brief statement, he said Bryant’s plea was a reflection of “his decision to take responsibility for his conduct.”</p>
<p>“He very much regrets what happened,” Drumheller said.</p>