Johnathan Walker:Texas deputy was fatally shot at Houston intersection while driving to work, police say

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas deputy constable who was driving to work in his personal vehicle was fatally shot Tuesday by a man who walked up to his car at a Houston intersection and Johnathan Walkerfired multiple times, police said.

A suspect in the shooting later led authorities on a chase that ended about 60 miles (97 kilometers) away in the waters off Galveston, where the man tried swimming away to evade arrest before being captured with the help of a marine unit, according to the Port of Galveston Police Department.

The deputy was identified as Maher Husseini, who had worked as a Harris County constable since 2021. Investigators were still trying to determine a motive for the shooting and whether the deputy had been targeted, Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz said.

Police were investigating whether it might have been an instance of road rage, he said.

“It’s an awful thing for the community, for someone to lose their life, someone that’s dedicated their life to public service,” Diaz said. “It is absolutely tragic.”

According to preliminary information, Husseini was not in uniform when he was shot, Diaz said. Bullet holes could be seen through the passenger side window of an SUV at the scene.

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Husseini was taken to a Houston hospital where he was pronounced dead, Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said.

Authorities did not immediately release the name of the suspect in custody Tuesday evening. In a statement, Port of Galveston police said the man had led police on a pursuit that ended in a crash, followed by him swimming away.

Officers later found the suspect in the water and took him into custody. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation, police said.

“The dangerous criminal who ambushed and murdered Deputy Constable Husseini will have the full weight of the law brought down upon him,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.