HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — The search continues for the gunman who shot and killed a Harris County Precinct 3 deputy constable Sunday evening who was picking up dinner for his family.
Deputy Constable Omar Ursin, 37, was off duty and driving east on Madera Run Parkway in Atascocita when someone fired a shot into his vehicle. Ursin crashed into a tree after he was hit and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
“It is with heavy hearts and utter disbelief that we share the tragic news of the senseless murder of one of our own, Deputy Omar Ursin,” Precinct 3 Constable Sherman Eagleton said in a post on social media. “We ask that you pray for Deputy Omar Ursin’s family, friends and all of us who are devastated by the loss of our brother. Rest in Peace Deputy Ursin, we’ve got it from here.”
RELATED: Deputy constable killed while picking up food for his family in the Atascocita area, Precinct 3 says
Fellow members of the law enforcement community also offered their condolences.
“He was loved, he was a father and a husband and he had a family so our hearts are broken for them and the agency as well as the law enforcement community," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
Ursin is being remembered as a devoted dad, husband and son who "loved his family immensely," the Harris County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
"As a department, we are in utter disbelief and unable to comprehend this senseless act. Deputy Ursin was a colleague, a friend, a brother and so much more."
Ursin was a six-year veteran of the department and a Channelview native. Before entering the police academy, he volunteered with youth outreach programs where he mentored foster children.
Monday afternoon, Ursin's body was being taken from the Montgomery County Medical Examiner's Office to a funeral home in Houston. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Precinct 3 is asking community members to continue praying for Ursin's family during this tragic time.
The investigation
Homicide detectives still aren't sure why Ursin was targeted. Investigators believe the shots were fired as the vehicles were in front of West Lake Middle School. The shooter was in a newer model dark sedan with tinted windows.
Gonzalez said the shooter's vehicle left the scene heading eastbound on Madera Run Parkway and then turned northbound on Olympic National Drive. He is asking residents in The Groves neighborhood to review footage on their surveillance cameras to see if it can help their investigation.
“We’re asking any residents to please check their surveillance footage anywhere from around 6:15 PM to probably 6:30… we know it was a pretty day, we know there was some people out walking dogs and walking or jogging throughout the neighborhood.”
If you know anything please call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).