On Thursday evening, a sheriff’s official announced that a suspect has been charged with capital murder in the shooting death of an off-duty deputy that occurred overnight in Houston.
According to the authorities, Ronnie Palmer, the individual who was previously identified as the suspect, has also been charged with aggravated assault in connection with an altercation at a Little Caesars pizza establishment.
During a news conference earlier, Chief Deputy Mike Lee of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office reported that on Wednesday night, around 10 p.m., deputies were dispatched to the Little Caesars in response to an aggravated assault.
Early Thursday, Lee expressed his disbelief at the senseless incident. According to him, the suspect had entered the establishment to collect a pizza that he had previously ordered.
According to Lee, the order was incorrect, which left him feeling upset.
According to Lee’s statement, the employee was reportedly subjected to a verbal assault by the suspect, who then proceeded to use a firearm to pistol-whip the employee before fleeing the location.
Lee stated that the Little Caesars employee successfully identified the getaway car’s make and model, color, and license plate.
According to Lee, Deputy Fernando Esqueda was able to locate the suspect’s car. He then promptly reached out to one of the other detectives over the phone to inform them that he had sight of the suspect’s vehicle.
Lee stated that during the phone conversation, it was revealed that their deputy had been ambushed and shot multiple times.
According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Esqueda was rushed to a hospital by other detectives, but sadly passed away shortly after arrival.
According to Gonzalez, Esqueda, who had been serving in the department for five years, was only 28 years old.
Gonzalez expressed his disappointment by saying, “There is a lot of potential that remains untapped.”
According to Lee, Esqueda belonged to an exclusive team known as the violent persons task force.
“The sheriff mentioned that he pursued the most heinous criminals,” he stated.
According to Gonzalez, Palmer had been identified as a person of interest in the capital murder of Esqueda and also wanted in connection to the assault at Little Caesars.
