A Texas deputy constable was fatally shot on February 23 while working an off-duty side job as a security guard at a shopping mall after a suspect grabbed his firearm and turned it on him.
According to police, San Jacinto County Precinct 1 Deputy Constable Neil Adams got into a confrontation with the suspect at the PlazAmericas shopping mall in Houston’s Sharpstown, during which the suspect got hold of his gun and fatally shot him.
Houston police chief Troy Finner said the suspect, later identified as 35-year-old Czyz Harrison, fled toward the food court when he was confronted by two responding Houston Police Department officers. Harrison was allegedly wielding a sharp object when he approached the officers and was shot. He was then transported to a nearby hospital, where he died. It’s not clear what started the altercation with the officer, but Harrison’s family members later told police they believe he suffered from mental health issues.
Adams, the third officer to be killed in the first two months of 2022, served 10 distinguished years in law enforcement.
San Jacinto County Constable Roy Rogers said that Adams worked as the county’s environmental officer after graduating from the academy in 2012.
“We lost one of our heroes,” he said. “He worked hard to take care of his family and to take care of the constituents of our county.”
“Neil was a really good friend of mine. Neil was the kind of guy you’d want to go hunting and fishing with. He was that kind of person. He was real people, a dedicated professional,” Rogers continued.
Chief Finner honored the fallen officer as a hero.
“I ask that everybody pray for this beautiful family, pray for law enforcement, pray for our cities, our counties and our nation. He’s a hero. He’s a hero. And we want to honor him,” he said.
Houston police officer and vice president of the National Fraternal Order of Police Joe Gamaldi released a statement on Twitter calling the violence against police officers “demoralizing and heartbreaking.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with San Jacinto County Precinct 1 as one of their own was gunned down and murdered today at Sharpstown mall,” he wrote.
