A special fundraiser set for Monday, August 21 will help cover the cost of a highway memorial for fallen Mesquite police officer Richard Houston.
Houston, a 21-year veteran on the force, was shot and killed in the line of duty almost two years ago.
NBC 5 spoke with Houston’s daughter about her journey through grief and honoring her father’s legacy.
“It’s been up and down but the Lord has been my strength and my hope,” said Shelby Houston. “It comes in waves. Each day is different.”
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There is cause for celebration as the 20-year-old is set to walk down the aisle this weekend.
“You can imagine how exciting that time is but also the reality that my dad not being part of that,” she said.
Officer Houston died while responding to a domestic disturbance in a grocery store parking lot in December 2021.
A Dallas County jury found Jamie Jaramillo guilty of capital murder. The Mesquite landscaper received an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Shelby later joined the Mesquite Police Association in successfully seeking approval for a highway designation honoring the fallen police officer, renaming the portion of Interstate 635 that runs through Mesquite as the ‘Officer Richard Houston II Memorial Highway.’
The cost of the signage for both directions of 635 costs $40,500.
The police union opted against asking the city to cover the cost and has instead looked to the community for support.
MPA has hosted charity events, sold special patches and whiskey for the project, raising $32,000 so far.
The union is hosting one last event on Monday, August 21 in hopes of reaching their goal, choosing 8/21 because it is Houston’s badge number: 821.
Currently, 15 restaurants in Mesquite have agreed to donate part of their proceeds on 8/21 to the police union charity for the signage.
MPA is still looking for additional restaurants willing to take part in the fundraiser, including those located outside Mesquite.
“My prayer is that people who travel this highway and see this sign just for them to love tight, love hard because it can be taken away in an instant,” said Shelby. “I hope that they would appreciate law enforcement and everything they do for us. I wish people understood the sacrifice. They go to work and pray to God they come home.”
Mesquite Police Chief David Gill tells NBC 5 the department continues to support the Houston family, attending everything from family to school events.
Gill sees a lot of his longtime friend in his daughter.
“When Shelby was born, Richard and I were on SWAT together,” said Gill.
He remembers watching the infant while Houston trained and switching out afterward.
Gill says he’s not quite sure how he will react driving past the sign in Houston’s honor.
Losing Houston, he says, has greatly affected him and the department.
“He was a professional, consummate professional. He was always concerned about training, with looking out for other people,” said Gill. “If he wasn’t making fun of you, which is one way we’d have a good time, then he was talking about the latest trends in law enforcement, things we needed to be looking out for.”
Few can forget the moment in the courtroom in 2022 when Shelby faced her father’s killer, extending forgiveness and an invitation ‘to talk about Jesus.’
OFFICER RICHARD HOUSTON
While Jaramillo has not reached out, Shelby says the invitation still stands.
“If one day he’s ready, I’m ready,” she said. “I know the Lord is going to make that happen.”
This remarkable young woman has managed to reach others.
“I’ve had multiple opportunities to go inside prisons and speak and share my story and the Lord has used that to bring many inmates to Christ for the first time,” she said proudly.
As for how she plans to honor her late father during her big day, Shelby says her close family friend who is a pastor will be walking her down the aisle.
There will still be a father-daughter dance, “but while we’re doing that, we’ll have a slideshow playing pictures of me and my dad.”
For more information on 821 Day, including a full list of participating restaurants, click here.
