Police arrest suspect in execution-style killing of sheriff’s deputy in TX *UPDATE*

First a word about the victim, Harris (Texas) County Deputy Darren H. Goforth: He was 47 years old, married, and a father of two children, ages 5 and 12.

Goforth, who was in uniform, had just finished pumping gas into his patrol car at a station in the Houston area last night when a gunman silently approached him from behind and opened fire for no apparent reason. When Goforth fell to the ground, the gunman stood over him and shot him several more times, killing him. The gunman then drove off in a red Ford Ranger.

Early Saturday morning, police arrested the suspect shown in the surveillance photo below:

suspect in killing

The man’s identity has not been released but Fox affiliate KRIV in Houston  reports that the suspect’s mother assisted law enforcement officers in the capture of her son.

Further details will be provided as this story develops.

*UPDATE* In an article time-stamped 3:05 p.m. today, the Washington Post somewhat confusingly reports that “the manhunt for the lone gunman stretched into Saturday afternoon.” There is no mention of the earlier arrest of a suspect.

The Post also shares the reactions to the cold-blooded murder of Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman, who said investigators believed that Deputy Goforth was targeted for his uniform.

[A]uthorities also referenced the broader national conversation regarding the relationship between law enforcement and they [sic] communities they police. Hickman said there was a “dangerous national rhetoric” regarding police.

“At any point where the rhetoric ramps up to the point where calculated, cold-blooded assassination of police officers happen — this rhetoric has gotten out of control,” Hickman said. “We’ve heard ‘black lives matter,’ ‘all lives matter.’ Well, cops’ lives matter too. So why don’t we just drop the qualifier, and just say ‘lives matter,’ and take that to the bank.”

Howard Portnoy

Howard Portnoy

Howard Portnoy has written for The Blaze, HotAir, NewsBusters, Weasel Zippers, Conservative Firing Line, RedCounty, and New York’s Daily News. He has one published novel, Hot Rain, (G. P. Putnam’s Sons), and has been a guest on Radio Vice Online with Jim Vicevich, The Alana Burke Show, Smart Life with Dr. Gina, and The George Espenlaub Show.

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