One constable deputy was killed and two others were wounded in a shooting outside a Houston bar early Saturday morning, police said.
Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief James Jones told reporters the deputies were trying to arrest someone when they were shot from behind with a rifle. Authorities were still searching for a man believed to be the shooter.
The Harris County constable deputies had been working a “police-related extra job” at the 45 Norte Sports Bar at about 2:15 a.m. when they went to assess a disturbance outside, Jones said.
He said they may have interrupted a robbery and when they tried to detain a suspect and were wrestling with him, “they were ambushed.”
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One was shot in the back, another in the foot, and the third was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to Mark Herman, Harris County Constable Precinct 4.
It’s unclear if the constables were able to return fire, and the investigation is ongoing, Jones said. A person of interest was taken into custody at the scene.
"This is a terrible time," Jones said. "We really need your help and the support of the community — the constables as they are suffering and just like we've been through this before, it never gets any easier."
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner was in Washington, D.C., attending events honoring fallen officers from across the country, including seven from the Houston Police Department, when the shooting occurred.
"We hope to have a suspect in custody soon and hope for swift and quick justice for that individual," Herman said.
"I do believe ... good always trumps evil, and what happened tonight was evil."
Contributing: The Associated Press
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