A detective with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas was killed Thursday morning after being ambushed while pursuing a fleeing aggravated assault suspect, the department announced.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said on social media that the unidentified detective was 28 years old and had been with the sheriff’s office for five years.
During a press conference early Thursday morning, HCSO Chief Deputy Mike Lee said the incident began on Wednesday around 10:10 p.m. when officers received a report of a vicious assault at Little Caesars Pizza on Wallisville Road.
A restaurant employee was reportedly assaulted by a man who had come in to pick up a pizza and was upset because his order was incorrect. The man, whose identity has not been released, allegedly assaulted the employee, then pulled out a gun, pistol-whipped the employee and fled in a car.
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A 28-year-old Harris County Sheriff’s Office detective died early Thursday after being ambushed while pursuing an aggravated assault suspect, the department announced. (Harris County Sheriff’s Office)
Lee said the employee was able to provide police with the make, model and license plate number of the vehicle. Detectives and officers on patrol began searching the vehicle and were able to enter the license plate number into the city’s camera system and pinpoint specific locations with a history of crashes.
Lee said several detectives went to the area to search for the vehicle but did not find it and retreated. A detective returned to the area and found the vehicle but not the suspect, notifying other detectives that the suspect was waiting on top of the car.
Lee said there was some disruption in radio communications but he understood he was on the phone with another detective and that during that conversation the detective “appears to have been ambushed.”
Gonzales said officers responded to the scene in the 13200 block of Italian Cypress Trail and found the detective’s undercover vehicle riddled with bullet holes. The detective had been shot multiple times and was in critical condition.
“Due to the severity of the injuries and the location of the hospital, it was determined that it was probably best not to wait for emergency services and police rushed the deputy in their patrol vehicle to the emergency room, where he died from the gunshot wound,” Lee said.
Deputy Mike Lee of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the 28-year-old detective “appeared to have been ambushed” after spotting a vehicle believed to belong to the aggravated assault suspect. (Harris County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook)
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As of Thursday morning, the suspect remained on the run, but Lee said law enforcement has a “fair idea” who he is and has set up special units in two locations to try to make an arrest.
“I have no doubt that with the cooperation of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and the Houston Police Department, this suspect will be taken into custody swiftly,” Lee said.
The suspect is described as a black male, of unknown age, with no clear description, who was last seen wearing a hat, black shirt and a jersey with unknown writing.
“None of us are prepared for such an untimely death and our members need your prayers and support. Our hearts go out to his family as they come to terms with this horrific news. An active investigation is underway to identify and arrest the killer and we will not rest until it is!”
Lee said the unidentified detective was part of a “very elite task force.”
“This group goes after child rapists, suspected murderers, the most violent criminals every day, that’s what they do for a living,” Lee said. “And he was very good at his job and had a very good reputation.”
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The last deputy sheriff to be shot and killed in Harris County was Deputy Darren Almendarez on March 31, 2022, according to the Officer Down memorial page.
While off duty, he encountered three people trying to steal catalytic converters, leading to a fight that escalated into a shootout, with two of the suspects shot but surviving.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
