HOUSTON, Texas — A Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office deputy is dead after being ambushed Tuesday afternoon on his way to work. The gunman allegedly fled and then returned to the scene to shoot the deputy again, local media reports.
Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office Chief Deputy Noe Diaz told reporters the shooting happened near Richmond Ave. and Fondren at about 12:35 p.m. CDT. Diaz said the suspected killer got out of his car and walked over to the deputy’s car and opened fire, KTRK ABC13 reported. The deputy was taken to Ben Taub Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
Click2Houston reported Houston Police Department officials said the gunman fled on foot, only to return and fire additional rounds at the deputy. Constable Mark Herman told the NBC affiliate the deputy was stopped at a red light in his personal vehicle at the time of the shooting. He was reportedly wearing his uniform pants and duty belt. It is not clear if he was in his full uniform at the time.
Officials told reporters they are searching for a 35-40 year old male, believed to be of Middle Eastern dissent. He is described as 5′ 9″ tall and about 200 pounds. Police said he was last seen wearing a dark shirt, dark pants, and he has dark, thinning hair, Fox 26 Houston reported.
Constable Herman was not ready to release the deputy’s name but described him to the NBC reporter as a 50-year-old man with about three years service to the constabulary. The deceased deputy received a promotion within the department just last week.
An HPD official said a witness called who saw the shooting. However, the alleged killer’s motive is not yet known.
“My main goal is to support our fallen deputy and his family,” Constable Herman told KHOU CBS11.
Less than one week ago, a Dallas Police Department officer was shot and killed and two other officers were wounded in another ambush-style attack on police, Breitbart Texas reported. That gunman was later shot and killed by police following a 30-mile pursuit.
So far this year, 37 officers, including the as-yet-unidentified deputy, were killed by gunfire in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
