Connect with us

Southwest

Texas manhunt underway after detective is fatally 'ambushed,' sheriff's office says

Published

on

Texas manhunt underway after detective is fatally 'ambushed,' sheriff's office says

A Texas detective was killed Thursday morning after he was ambushed while pursuing an aggravated assault suspect, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office announced. The suspect remains on the run and a manhunt is underway.

The unidentified detective was 28 years old and had been with the sheriff’s office for five years, according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez on social media.

In a news conference early Thursday morning, HCSO Chief Deputy Mike Lee said the incident began around 10:10 p.m. on Wednesday when a call came in for an aggravated assault at the Little Caesars Pizza on Wallisville Road in northeast Houston.

An employee at the store was reportedly assaulted by a customer who came to the location to pick up a pizza and became upset when his order was wrong. The customer, who has not been identified, allegedly verbally assaulted the employee before pulling out a gun, pistol whipping them and fleeing in a vehicle.

SUSPECT KILLED AFTER STANDOFF FOLLOWING OHIO OFFICER’S DEATH

Advertisement

A 28-year-old detective with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office died early Thursday morning after he was ambushed while pursuing an aggravated assault suspect, according to the agency. (Harris County Sheriff’s Office)

The employee was able to provide police with the car’s make, model and license plate number, Lee said. Detectives and officers on patrol began looking for the vehicle and entered the license plate number into the city’s Flock camera system, where they were able to determine a specific location with a history of hits.

Several detectives went to that area to look for the vehicle, but broke away when they couldn’t find it, Lee said. One detective went back to the area and notified others that he had found the vehicle, but not the suspect, and he was setting up on the car.

Lee said there was some confusion with radio transmissions, but they knew he was having a phone conversation with another detective and, during that conversation, the detective was “apparently ambushed.”

Officers rushed to the location, which Gonzalez said was in the 13200 block of Italian Cypress Trail, and found the detective’s undercover vehicle riddled with bullets. The detective was struck multiple times and was in critical condition.

Advertisement

“Due to the severity of the injuries and the adjacent location of this hospital, they decided it was probably in the best interest not to wait for EMS, and they placed our deputy in one of our patrol vehicles and rushed him here to the emergency room where he succumbed to his gunshot wounds,” Lee said.

Harris County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Lee said the 28-year-old detective was “apparently ambushed” after locating what he believed to be the vehicle belonging to an aggravated assault suspect. (Harris County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook)

The unidentified detective was a member of a “very elite task force,” according to Lee.

“This group, every day, goes out and hunts down child rapists, homicide suspects, some of the most egregious criminals out there and that’s what they do every day for a living,” Lee said. “And he was very good at his job. Very well thought of.”

REMEMBERING POLICE OFFICERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES ON DUTY LAST YEAR

Advertisement

As of Thursday morning, the suspect remains on the run, but Lee said law enforcement agencies have a “good idea” of who he is and have set up SWAT teams at two locations in efforts to apprehend him. 

“I have no doubt between the forces of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and the Houston Police Department that we will have this suspect in custody in a very timely manner,” Lee said.

While his description is vague, the suspect is a Black male last seen wearing a hat and a black shirt with a jersey with unknown writing on it. His age is unknown.

Gonzalez expressed his “extreme sadness” on social media and said the department “will not rest” until the suspect is behind bars.

“None of us are ever prepared for such an untimely death and our members need your prayers and support. Our thoughts are with his family as they come to terms with this horrible news. An active investigation is underway to identify and apprehend his killer. We will not rest until we do!” he wrote on X. 

Advertisement

The last Harris County deputy to be shot and killed was Deputy Sheriff Darren Almendarez on March 31, 2022, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. 

He was off duty when he confronted three people attempting to steal a catalytic converter, resulting in a struggle that ended in gunfire. Two of the suspects were shot, but survived.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Southwest

Family of Brianna Aguilera sues over alcohol service ahead of death

Published

on

Family of Brianna Aguilera sues over alcohol service ahead of death

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The family of Brianna Aguilera, the Texas A&M student who fell to her death from a high-rise apartment in November, is suing two organizations for allegedly overserving alcohol ahead of the 19-year-old’s death.

Attorney Tony Buzbee on Tuesday announced a $1 million wrongful death lawsuit was filed in Travis County against the Austin Blacks Rugby Club and the UT Economics and Business Association.

“It is illegal to serve minors any amount of alcohol in the State of Texas. It is reckless and irresponsible to grossly over-serve a group of minors at a University of Texas football tailgate to the point where those minors lose their physical faculties and ability to control themselves,” the lawsuit states. 

Aguilera died when she fell from an Austin high-rise apartment following a Texas A&M vs. University of Texas football tailgate at around 1 a.m. Nov. 29, according to police.

Advertisement

POLICE SHOULD BE TAKING ‘CLOSER LOOK’ AT COLLEGE STUDENT’S DEATH AFTER MOTHER’S ALLEGATIONS: FORMER PROSECUTOR

An image provided by the family of the young Texas A&M student, Brianna Aguilera, found dead in Austin over the weekend. (GoFundMe)

A police investigation later determined Aguilera died by suicide despite her family’s claims that she was killed.

Brianna Aguilera was found dead in an apartment hours after attending a tailgate party. (Facebook/Brie Aguilera)

According to the filing, the alleged “egregious over-serving of minors” led to Aguilera’s death. Witnesses described her behavior over several hours as “shifting from upbeat to disoriented and ultimately grossly intoxicated,” the suit says.

Advertisement

Brianna Aguilera holds a sign congratulating her on her acceptance to Texas A&M. (Instagram/brie.aguilera)

TEXAS A&M STUDENT BRIANNA AGUILERA’S FALL DEATH SPARKS POLICE RESPONSE TO FAMILY’S EXPLOSIVE CLAIMS: REPORT

Buzbee said the lawsuit is also intended to support the ongoing investigation into the events of that night by allowing the firm to seek phone and text records, documents and data and to compel witness testimony.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The lawsuit requests a jury trial.

Advertisement

Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Southwest

Key red state could decide US gas prices as Venezuelan oil hits the market

Published

on

Key red state could decide US gas prices as Venezuelan oil hits the market

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Nobody handles oil quite like Texas and a fresh supply of Venezuelan crude could soon be headed to the Lone Star State’s coast.

The first barrels of thick, tar-like crude could arrive as soon as next week at ports across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, where dense clusters of refineries are built and bred to process heavy oil.

The development follows President Donald Trump’s Tuesday evening announcement that Caracas will transfer up to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S., worth about $2.8 billion at current market prices. 

WE’RE GOING TO LET THE OIL FLOW: ENERGY SECRETARY SAYS US WILL OVERSEE VENEZUELAN OIL SALES

Advertisement

Venezuelan children swimming near an oil tanker docked at a pier near the refinery of the state oil company PDVSA. (Jesus Vargas/picture alliance/Getty Images)

“The Gulf Coast concentrates most of our refining capacity, and those refineries were built or revamped over the years to process extra-heavy crude similar to what is produced in Venezuela,” explained Jaime Brito, executive director of refining and oil products at OPIS.

“From a market perspective, additional volumes of extra-heavy crude entering the U.S. refining system would be an extraordinarily positive development,” Brito said. “It would allow refiners to operate more efficiently, something they haven’t been able to do for years and could help keep gasoline and diesel prices at better levels because refiners would have access to cheaper crude and more optimal operations.”

‘WE BUILT VENEZUELA’S OIL INDUSTRY:’ TRUMP VOWS US ENERGY RETURN AFTER MADURO CAPTURE

He added that tankers could arrive within five to six days if they leave Venezuelan waters on Thursday.

Advertisement

Because Gulf Coast refineries supply a large share of the nation’s fuel, shifts in how efficiently they operate can ultimately ripple through to prices paid by U.S. consumers.

Texas oil refineries are poised to benefit from additional crude oil supplies. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The arrival of 15 to 25 oil tankers carrying up to 50 million barrels of crude is only a fraction of what Venezuela could ultimately supply.

With more than 300 billion barrels of proven reserves, it holds the world’s largest oil endowment — eclipsing long-standing energy heavyweights like Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait.

Despite its vast reserves, U.S. sanctions have effectively blocked most Venezuelan crude from reaching the U.S. Gulf Coast, leaving Chevron — operating under a special authorization — as the sole exporter of limited volumes.

Advertisement

US NOW IN CONTROL OF VENEZUELA’S OIL RESERVES, THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD

A Chevron Corp. flag flies on the drilling floor of a Nabors Industries Ltd. drill rig in the Permian Basin near Midland, Texas, on March 1, 2018. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

That disruption has been felt most acutely in Texas, which anchors the nation’s refining hub and hosts several of the country’s largest heavy-crude refineries.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

A renewed flow of Venezuelan barrels could also intensify competition in the heavy-crude market, particularly between Venezuela and Canada, Brito said.

Advertisement

“You’re going to have fierce competition between Canada and Venezuela, which benefits American refiners and gives them more flexibility to potentially lower fuel prices,” he said, adding that he was speaking strictly from an oil-market perspective.

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Southwest

Security guard fatally shot outside Houston restaurant after confrontation with suspect

Published

on

Security guard fatally shot outside Houston restaurant after confrontation with suspect

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A security guard was fatally shot outside a Houston restaurant Wednesday evening after a confrontation with another man, authorities said.

The shooting happened around 6:15 p.m. outside Connie’s Seafood Market Restaurant, the Houston Police Department said.

Police told reporters that the security guard, who was working for the restaurant, was standing in the parking lot when a fight broke out between him and another man, FOX26 Houston reported.

Police said the security guard was shot at least once. He was rushed to a hospital where he later died.

Advertisement

OFF-DUTY DEPUTY SHOT AND KILLED WHILE WORKING SECURITY JOB IN TEXAS, SUSPECT REMAINS AT LARGE

A security guard was fatally shot outside a Houston restaurant Wednesday evening after a confrontation with another man, authorities said. (Houston Police Department)

Authorities did not immediately release the name of the victim.

The suspect was last seen running away from the parking lot after the shooting.

The security guard was working for the restaurant at the time of the shooting. (Google Maps)

Advertisement

BROWN UNIVERSITY SHOOTER CONFESSED IN VIDEOS TO PLANNING ATTACK FOR LONG TIME, SHOWED NO REMORSE: DOJ

No details about the suspect or the circumstances that led to the altercation have been released as of Thursday morning.

Houston police were reviewing surveillance footage as they search for the shooting suspect. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle, File)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Officials said investigators were reviewing surveillance footage and speaking with witnesses to get a description of the suspect.

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending