Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman released intense body camera video on Tuesday from an ambush in which one of his deputies was shot. The constable, who warned that the footage was traumatic, used the release to walk the public through how the attack unfolded and to draw attention to the toll it has taken on the wounded deputy and his family.
According to the constable, the gunfire was both heavy and deliberate. The suspect was using a high powered rifle chambered with .308 rounds, firing through the walls of the structure, and officials say he let off dozens of rounds before he could be stopped. The body camera captured the chaotic moments as the ambush began and deputies scrambled to respond under fire.
One deputy bore the brunt of the attack. Deputy Dante Zapata was hit and heard on the recording urging colleagues to stop the bleeding from his wrist before he was rushed straight to the hospital by fellow officers in a patrol car. A second deputy, George Esparza, was grazed by shrapnel during the exchange, but he was not seriously hurt and is already back on duty.
The standoff ended when specialized officers moved in. A Harris County Sheriff's Office SWAT team took the suspect, identified as Edgar Villegas, into custody after he allegedly fired the volley of rounds through the walls. The coordinated response brought the immediate threat to an end without any deaths among the officers involved.
Zapata's recovery has come with a personal cost that the constable wanted to highlight. Herman noted the severe financial strain on a deputy's family when an officer cannot work, explaining that Zapata holds down extra jobs that he can no longer do while he heals. While the county covers his salary and medical care, he stands to lose the additional income, so Herman said he wrote a personal check to make up for the extra-job earnings during the deputy's time off. Zapata was released from the hospital on Father's Day.
The suspect, meanwhile, remains under police guard at a hospital. Officials say Villegas is recovering from canine bites and injuries sustained while struggling with officers during his arrest. He has been charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer, and Precinct 4 has indicated it is pursuing additional charges over his alleged role in the ambush.