A Harris County constable's deputy was fatally shot Tuesday while driving to work, Houston police say. A person of interest has been detained in Galveston.
Houston Chief of Police Noe Diaz said Tuesday afternoon that a deputy constable with the office of Precinct 4 Constable Mark Hermann was shot in his car while stopped at a traffic light. According to Diaz, the constable was on his way to work at about 12:35 p.m. when a man got out of his car and walked over to the constable's car, and fired multiple times.
Herman said on social media that his deputy, who has not yet been identified, was rushed to the Ben Taub Hospital in Houston, where he was declared dead.
Mid-afternoon Tuesday, Diaz gave a press conference where he said the gunman was at large and left the intersection in a charcoal gray 4-door Impala with a "very unique bumper disfigurement under the car."
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Houston police are actively investigating the shooting and looking for surveillance video to get a better idea of what the gunman looked like. In the meantime, Diaz offered a vague description from witnesses who said he was Middle Eastern and between 35 and 40 years old. He wore a dark shirt and pants and had dark, thinning hair. The man was between 5 feet 9 inches tall and 6 feet tall and weighed about 225 pounds.
At 5:30 p.m., Houston police tweeted on X that a person of interest in the deputy's shooting had been detained in Galveston, but they confirmed no other information.
Diaz said investigators have not nailed down a motive and were not able to confirm if the constable was targeted because he was in law enforcement or if the shooting was related to road rage.
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"Any loss of life is a trauma. Any death is terrible in this community. It being a deputy just brings it closer to us as police officers who are here to serve the community. It's unfortunate, but anybody that loses their life in the community is just as valuable … it shouldn't happen."
On Thursday, Aug. 29, Dallas police officer Darron Burks was fatally shot while parked in his patrol vehicle outside a neighborhood community center. Dallas Chief of Police Eddie Garcia said the shooting was premeditated and that his officer was executed.
Anyone with information is asked to call Harris County Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS or the Houston Police Homicide Unit at 713-308-3600.
