An off-duty Texas sheriff's deputy has died after being shot in a grocery store parking lot, officials said.
Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) Deputy Darren Almendarez came out of a Houston-area grocery store with his wife Thursday night and saw two or three male suspects who seemed to be burglarizing a motor vehicle.
"Possibly a catalytic converter that was being stolen," Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at a news conference. "We're not sure. Those details are still being investigated. But he intervened. He intervened to try to stop a crime."
According to KPRC 2, the suspects were trying to steal the catalytic converter from Almendarez's vehicle.
The 51-year-old deputy was confronted by the suspects before they exchanged gunfire, KPRC 2 reports.
"And, really a hero, because, as all of this was unfolding, he had the mindset to make sure he was protecting his wife," Gonzalez told reporters. "He told his wife to run, to get away from danger, as he put himself in harm's way to protect the rest of the community and to try to stop a crime."
Fox News reports that Almendarez was struck by a bullet during the gunfire exchange but was able to strike two people who later drove themselves to the hospital.
The sheriff called the death "tragic" and said crime in the community was "unacceptable." He also said there may be a third suspect on the run.
"We're tired that people aren't even safe to go out to the grocery store," Gonzalez said. "This is a cop. This is a cop that's just out with his family. It could be any one of us, and it happened to be him."
A 23-year veteran of the sheriff's office, Almendarez had been working in the department's auto theft unit for the past year, according to the HCSO Facebook page.
KPRC 2 reports that the suspects and the deputy went to Houston Northwest Hospital, where Almendarez was later pronounced dead. One of the suspects is reportedly in serious condition and the other is in critical condition.
"Our prayers are with the fallen deputy, his family, the Harris County Sheriff's Office, and all of our Harris County Deputies' Organization brothers and sisters," The Houston Police Officers' Union wrote on Facebook. "There are no words to express how awful this tragedy is. Rest in peace, brother."
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