Off-duty Texas deputy sheriff shot dead, 3 men charged with capital murder

PTI, Apr 2, 2022, 2:23 PM IST

Three men have been charged with capital murder in the death of an off-duty Texas deputy sheriff who was killed in a shooting in Houston while trying to stop a theft.

Deputy Darren Almendarez, 51, died after he was wounded Thursday during a shootout with the three men who were trying to steal the catalytic converter from his vehicle.

According to investigators, the incident happened just after 8:30 pm outside a grocery store in north Harris County where Almendarez and his wife were shopping.

Two men, identified as 23-year-old Joshua Stewart and 19-year-old Fredarias Henry Clark, were arrested on Thursday and charged with capital murder in connection to the shooting.

The third suspect, identified as 17-year-old Fredrick Tardy, was arrested late Friday and charged with capital murder, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

Investigators said as the couple left the store, the deputy spotted a black car backed up to his pickup truck and two men underneath the vehicle. Almendarez told his wife to seek safety as he approached the vehicle.

That is when the men opened fire on the deputy, the sheriff’s office said. Almendarez was able to return fire, wounding two of the men. The suspects then sped off.

Almendarez was transported to Houston Northwest Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Two of the suspects, Stewart and Clark, arrived at the same hospital in Altima from the parking lot. Both men had gunshot wounds.

Almendarez was a well-known and well-liked deputy around the agency, said Sgt Jose Lopez of the Harris County Deputies Organisation.

He is survived by his wife and two children from his previous marriage. Almendarez had served as a part of HCSO’s auto theft division for the past year.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott in a statement said the state would be ready to provide all resources necessary to bring justice to the family and loved ones of Deputy Almendarez.