Undercover deputy shot dead in ambush in northeast Harris County

HOUSTON – The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the tragic, untimely loss of one of its employees after an undercover officer was killed Wednesday evening.

It happened just before 10:15 p.m. when officers learned of a serious assault at a Little Caesars on Wallisville Road in northeast Harris County.

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Officers learned the attacker had gone into the restaurant to pick up a pizza but was upset because the order was wrong. The unidentified man then reportedly yelled at the employee before pulling out a gun, pistol-whipping the employee and fleeing before authorities arrived. HCSO investigators say they have surveillance video of the incident.

The attacker’s car was later found on Italian Cypress Trail by a 28-year-old undercover officer. Investigators say he may have had radio trouble, but he was on the phone with another officer before he was ambushed.

When additional officers arrived, they found his patrol car riddled with bullet holes and the unidentified officer suffered multiple gunshot wounds. They took him to LBJ Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

At the time of this writing, the deputy’s name has not been released, but he is said to have been with HCSO for five years and was part of the violent offender task force.

As for the deputy’s killer, SWAT teams have been deployed to two locations because they believe they know who the shooter is. He was only described as a black male wearing a hat and a black jersey with an unknown inscription on it.

KPRC 2 will continue to update this developing story as additional information becomes available.