A second suspect has been arrested in connection to a July 10 ambush that killed a Texas sheriff’s deputy.
Dremone Francis, 26, was arrested on July 14 and charged with capital murder and tampering with physical evidence, according to jail records. He was booked in the Harris County Jail. A judge denied his bail during his first court appearance on July 15.
This comes after Ronald Palmer Jr., 44, was arrested last week and charged with capital murder.
Funeral services for Deputy Fernando Esqueda, 29, will be held on July 18, according to an announcement by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook.
“He was dedicated to protecting and serving the residents of Harris County,” Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote on X, adding that Mr. Esqueda’s “duty and his sacrifice will always be remembered.”
The string of events began last Wednesday night when a Little Caesars Pizza employee was assaulted. Mr. Palmer allegedly pistol-whipped the employee after becoming upset that his pizza order was wrong, according to Chief Deputy Mike Lee at a July 11 press conference.
Mr. Lee said that law enforcement began searching for the suspect’s vehicle after he left the scene following the alleged assault. When Mr. Esqueda spotted the car and informed his colleagues, he was ambushed and shot several times. The deputy suffered severe injuries and was transported in a patrol car to a hospital, where he later died.
The ambush sparked a massive daylong manhunt for the involved suspect, Mr. Lee added.
Mr. Gonzalez said in a statement on X that Mr. Esqueda was a member of the Violent Person Task Force; he was directly involved in tracking down dangerous criminals, including child rapists and homicide suspects.
He was also one of the many detectives working overtime to keep residents safe in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.