HOUSTON — The body of a Precinct 4 deputy who was shot to death was escorted to a funeral home in Tomball on Sunday.
Deputy Kareem Atkins, 30, was gunned down while working at a bar off the North Freeway on Saturday morning.
Law enforcement officials with several Houston-area agencies took part in the procession from the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office to a Tomball funeral home.
Bystanders paid their respects along the way.
Watch video of part of the procession below and on the KHOU 11 YouTube page:
What happened
Atkins and two other deputies were working an extra job at a bar in the 4400 block of the North Freeway, near Crosstimbers Street. Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said they were ambushed just after 2 a.m. when they were alerted to a possible robbery in the parking lot.
Atkins and deputy Darryl Garrett were arresting a suspect when a shooter opened fire on them from behind a vehicle, according to investigators. Both deputies were shot and deputy Juqaim Barthen rushed over when he heard the gunshots. He was also immediately shot, according to authorities. It's unclear if any of them were able to return fire.
According to authorities, Garrett, 28, was shot in the back and Barthen, 26, was shot in the foot.
The shooter has not been identified.
Atkins' history
Atkins had been working with Precinct 4 since January 2019.
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Herman said Atkins had just returned from paternity leave. He leaves behind his 6-month-old son, 2-year-old daughter and wife.
How to help
If you have any information that could help investigators, please call the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS.