Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced that state authorities will join the search for the suspect in last night’s ambushed shooting of a Houston-area deputy sheriff.
Authorities in Houston and surrounding areas are searching for Ronnie Palmer, 44, in connection with the death of Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Fernando Esqueda.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told X that the deputy, a 28-year-old police veteran with five years of experience, was at the scene as part of the investigation.
Texas sheriff’s office launches search after detective killed in ambush
Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Fernando Esqueda stands in uniform in front of a U.S. flag in this portrait provided by the sheriff’s office. Esqueda was shot and killed early Thursday morning and a search is underway for a suspect. (Harris County Sheriff)
Palmer is believed to be a suspect in the shooting and is also wanted for an aggravated assault at a Little Caesars Pizza store on Wallisville Road in east Harris County.
An enraged customer at a pizza parlor allegedly pistol-whipped a clerk and fled the scene. As authorities searched for a suspect in the attack, Esqueda was ambushed while on the phone with another detective, authorities said Thursday.
About 1 a.m. Thursday, reinforcements arrived and found Esqueda’s vehicle riddled with bullet holes in the 13200 block of Italian Cypress Trail, and he had been shot multiple times.
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Ronnie Palmer has been identified as a suspect in the murder and is wanted in connection with the assault. (Harris County Sheriff)
Deputy Sheriff Mike Lee told reporters that Esqueda was a member 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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Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez speaks to the media about the death of Deputy John Hampton Coddu in the line of duty, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Houston. On Thursday, he announced the death of yet another deputy, Fernando Esqueda, and announced the launch of a search for suspects in the case. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Fellow officers transported him in a patrol car to a hospital in serious condition, where he later died from his injuries.
Governor Abbott pledged the state’s full support to local police in their search for the shooter.
“Whenever police officers put on the badge, they selflessly put their lives at risk,” he said in a statement. “Violence against police officers will never be tolerated in Texas.”
State police and special agents are assisting in the search, he 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)
“Please join Cecelia and me in praying for Deputy Esqueda’s family, loved ones and the entire Harris County community,” he added.
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Authorities are asking anyone with information on Palmer’s whereabouts to contact Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).
“None of us are prepared for such an untimely death, and our members need your prayers and support,” Gonzalez said. “Our hearts go out to his family as they try to come to terms with this tragic news.”
He vowed to bring the killer to justice.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Pritchett and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
