The Houston manhunt has officially concluded. The suspect, identified as Ronnie Palmer, is also accused of aggravated assault following an incident at a Little Caesars pizza shop.
The incident began just after 10 p.m. on Wednesday when Harris County deputies responded to a call about an aggravated assault at Little Caesars, according to Harris County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Lee.
“What happened is senseless,” Lee said early Thursday. “The suspect came to pick up a pizza he had ordered.”
Upset over an incorrect order, Palmer allegedly verbally assaulted the employee, then produced a firearm, pistol-whipped the employee, and fled, Lee explained.
“The Little Caesars employee was able to identify the getaway car by make, model, color, and license plate,” Lee added.
Deputy Fernando Esqueda later spotted the suspect’s car and informed another detective that he had the vehicle in sight. While on the phone, Esqueda was ambushed and shot multiple times, Lee said.
Other detectives rushed Esqueda to the hospital, where he died shortly after arriving, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told reporters.
Esqueda, 28, had been with the department for five years, Gonzalez noted.
“So much promise unfulfilled,” Gonzalez said.
Related: Manhunt Underway in Houston After Deputy was Ambushed and Killed
Esqueda was part of an elite unit, the violent persons task force, dedicated to pursuing dangerous criminals, Lee stated.
Palmer was initially wanted for the assault at Little Caesars and had been identified as a person of interest in Esqueda’s murder.
