Texas: Harris County Deputy Fernando Esqueda Laid To Rest After Ambush

OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
5:13 PM – Friday, July 19, 2024

Members of the Houston, Texas, community and law enforcement came together to honor the life of 28-year-old Deputy Fernando Esqueda, who was killed in an ambush attack last week.

Advertisement

Hundreds gathered to mourn and remember the life of the brave, fallen deputy on Friday, with some officers even traveling all the way from areas like Boston, Chicago, New York, and beyond. 

“He loved being a deputy; he loved being a part of this community, and he did so until his final breath,” said Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

As a member of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Violent Persons Warrant Task Force, Esqueda had located a suspect’s vehicle and was notifying fellow deputies when he was fatally shot.

“His kind heart and pure spirit touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him,” said Esqueda’s sister, Vanessa. “His energy was electric and always full of energy. He was our family’s life of the party.”

The tragic murder occurred after police were called to a Little Caesars Pizza location in Houston. 44-year-old Ronald Palmer Jr. had allegedly pistol-whipped and verbally assaulted a worker while he argued that his pizza “didn’t look like” the advertised picture.

Palmer Jr. has now been charged with capital murder, and prosecutors say that the state is currently considering the death penalty.

“When a cop is killed in Houston, the death penalty is on the table every time; that’s Texas law,” one prosecutor in the case said. “It does hurt our community the most when a first responder is taken out of the line of duty.”

Additionally, a second suspect, Dremone Francis, 26, is also facing a capital murder charge for purportedly tampering with evidence after he allegedly assisted Palmer Jr. in disposing of the weapon.

Palmer and Francis were both taken into custody in handcuffs and are being held without bond on the capital murder charges.