HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — The Harris County Sheriff's Office deputy who was struck and killed by a truck on the Grand Parkway will be laid to rest next week.
Deputy John H. Coddou III, 50, was killed Tuesday after he was struck by a truck that investigators said was trying to avoid another crash.
The crash
HCSO investigators said Coddou stopped to help after he came up on a minor crash in the northbound lanes of the Grand Parkway near Cumberland Ridge Drive in the Cypress area around 9:30 p.m. They said he parked his HCSO vehicle on the left shoulder of the road with the right side of the vehicle partially blocking the far left lane. They said his emergency lights were on.
About five minutes after he stopped, the driver of a white Chevrolet truck tried to avoid the initial crash scene by swerving into the grassy median that divides the northbound and southbound lanes of SH-99.
Investigators said the driver of the truck was talking on his phone hands-free as he approached the crash scene.
Coddou, who was standing in the median, was struck by the front right side of the truck. He was airlifted to a hospital in the Texas Medical Center, where he died.
The driver of the truck that struck Coddou remained at the scene. It's unclear if charges will be filed. The crash remains under investigation.
Coddou worked under HCSO's Violent Crimes Unit.
"It wasn't his regular assignment that day to be on patrol," Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. "He's an investigator but he saw community members in need."
Coddou served his country before Harris County. He was in the U.S. Army before joining HCSO. He first joined the agency as a detention officer in 2003 before becoming a deputy in 2005. The sheriff said he was very well-liked and was a "phenomenal individual."
He leaves behind a wife.
"It is a sad day in Harris County as we mourn the loss of a deputy who died in the line of duty. We share our sorrow with his family & his extended family, the women & men who put their lives on the line every day to keep our county safe," Gonzalez said on X.
Visitation information
A visitation will be held for Coddou on April 30 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home on the Katy Freeway.
Memorial Oaks Funeral Home
13001 Katy Freeway
Houston, Texas
Funeral information
A funeral service will be held on May 1 at 1 p.m. at Second Baptist Church on the Katy Freeway. A graveside service will follow at Forest Park Southwest Cemetery on FM 395 in Richmond.
Second Baptist Church
19449 Katy Freeway
Houston, Texas
Forest Park Southwest Cemetery
9040 FM 395
Richmond, Texas