Search Continues For Person Who Killed Texas Deputy Kareem Atkins, Wounded 2 Other Lawmen
HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM/CNN) — The search continues for the person who opened fire outside a Houston bar on October 16, ambushing and shooting three lawmen -- one of which died from his injuries.
Harris County Constable Mark Herman said the deputy who was fatally shot had just returned from paternity leave.
Deputy Kareem Atkins, 30, leaves behind a wife and an infant who is just a few months old.
Atkins' body was escorted to a funeral home in the Houston-area Sunday, as bystanders paid their respects.
Officials say a gunman "came out of nowhere" and fired on Atkins and two other deputies while they were trying to detain someone early Saturday. Two deputies -- 28-year-old Darryl Garrett and 26-year-old Juqaim Barthen -- were injured.
Garrett was shot in the back, Herman said in a Facebook post. Barthen rushed to the parking lot to help the other two deputies, and was "immediately shot and immobilized," he added, without going into further detail.
"Deputies Atkins, Garrett, and Barthen are true law enforcement heroes that were cowardly ambushed while serving and protecting their community," Herman said.
The shooting happened around 2:15 a.m., after at least two of the Precinct 4 constable deputies -- working an extra job at 45 Norte Sports Bar -- went outside to address a disturbance, authorities said.
"It turns out it may have been a robbery they were intervening in ... probably unknown to them at the time," Houston police Executive Assistant Chief James Jones said.
While the two deputies were trying to detain a suspect they had on the ground, another person "came from around a car with a rifle and basically shot them right there."
The third deputy "hears gunshots ... runs out there, and when he does, he doesn't even draw a gun -- he's shot," Herman said.
Investigators are still searching for the shooter.
Any with information that could help investigators is being asked to call the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS.
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