Authorities in Harris County, Texas, say that the guy who is suspected of killing Deputy Fernando Esqueda in an ambush attack was taken into custody over night and is now facing capital murder charges. After an incident inside a Little Caesars pizza restaurant, the suspect, Ronnie Palmer, was additionally charged with aggravated assault.
At a press conference earlier on Thursday, Chief Deputy Mike Lee of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office stated that the incident started shortly after 10 p.m. on Wednesday when deputies from the county responded to an aggravated assault at the Little Caesars. “What transpired is absurd,” Lee declared early on Thursday. “The suspect came into the location to pick up a pizza that he had ordered.” “He was upset because the order was incorrect,” Lee recalled.
The worker was allegedly subjected to verbal abuse by the defendant, who “then produced a firearm and pistol-whipped the employee and then fled the location,” according to Lee. “The employee at Little Caesars was able to identify the getaway car by make and model, color and license plate,” Lee explained.
Lee claimed that Esqueda saw the suspect’s vehicle. After that, Esqueda “had a phone conversation with one of the other detectives to let him know he did have the suspect vehicle in sight,” Lee explained. Lee claimed that “our deputy apparently was ambushed” while speaking on the phone and was shot several times.
According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, other investigators hurried Esqueda to the hospital, where he passed away nearly instantly. Gonzalez stated that Esqueda, 28, has been with the agency for five years. “So much promise unfulfilled,” Gonzalez said. “He went after the worst of the worst,” the sheriff added.