Ambush at bar kills 1 deputy, wounds 2
A man with an AR-15 rifle ambushed three Harris County constable deputies early Saturday, killing one and injuring two as they tried to arrest another man outside a bar in north Houston, authorities said.
The deputies, who were working an extra security job, were called outside the 45 Norte Sports Bar in the 4400 block of North Freeway around 2:15 a.m. to handle a disturbance. They were wrestling a suspect involved in a possible robbery when a gunman shot them from behind, police said.
“This is very, very tragic,” said
Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman, just after speaking to the family of the slain deputy, 30-year-old Kareem Atkins. “It’s probably one of the toughest things I’ve done in my career.”
Atkins had worked for Precinct 4 since January 2019 and had recently returned from paternity leave. He leaves behind his wife and their 6-month-old baby. His father also works at the constable’s office.
Deputy Darryl Garrett, 28, was in intensive care Saturday after undergoing surgery for being shot in the back. Deputy Juqaim Barthen, 26, rushed to help the deputies when he heard shots. He was also shot but is expected to recover.
Police said they detained a person of interest but later determined he was a witness and not the gunman. They vowed to conduct a thorough investigation and asked for the public’s assistance.
“I do believe that good always trumps evil,” Herman said. “And what happened that night was evil. Now the good is going to sweep in. And I hope for swift justice.”
Atkins’ death marks the first fatal shooting of a Precinct 4 deputy in the agency’s history.
Officers from law enforcement agencies around the region stood in salute, some crying, as they lined the road as his body was escorted Saturday morning to the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner couldn’t visit the hospital because he was in Washington for National Police Week to honor the nation’s fallen officers — including seven from the Houston Police Department killed since 2019. Hours after the shooting, President Joe Biden acknowledged Atkins’ death and those of the seven Houston officers.
“Too many funerals for police officers,” Biden said.
Located in a small strip mall near Interstate 45 and Crosstimbers, the sports bar was locked Saturday morning and no one answered its listed phone numbers.
“I’ve never had any problems with them,” said Hector Guerra, an instructor at Texas Barber College next door. Guerra said he’s never seen fights at the bar. His only complaint was occasionally finding broken beer bottles and tire marks in the parking lot when he showed up for work.
Saturday morning, Guerra said the parking lot was blocked by police and yellow crime-scene tape.
“There’s never been anything to indicate this was going to happen” Guerra said. “It’s shocking.”
Before working at the constable’s office, Atkins joined the College Station Police Department in June 2018. A month after Atkins was sworn in, the department featured him and another officer in a social media post when they visited a group of excited children at Kiddie Academy in College Station.
A smiling Atkins was photographed shaking the hand of a young boy. The children gave them “survival kits” of candy that included Lifesavers to remind the officers of “the many times you’ve been one.”