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<h2 class="has-text-color wp-block-heading" style="color:#342c2c;font-size:16px"><strong>Harris County Sheriff&#8217;s Deputy Darren Almendarez, was shot and killed in front of his wife, whom he saved, after stopping a theft in progress </strong></h2>



<h2 class="has-text-color wp-block-heading" style="color:#342c2c;font-size:16px"><strong>Almendarez, 51, and his wife walked out of a Houston grocery store on Thursday and saw three men trying to steal catalytic converter from their truck ; </strong></h2>



<h2 class="has-text-color wp-block-heading" style="color:#342c2c;font-size:16px"><strong>One of the perpetrators pulled out a gun and shot deputy, who returned fire</strong></h2>



<h2 class="has-text-color wp-block-heading" style="color:#342c2c;font-size:16px"><strong>The 23-year veteran assigned to auto theft division</strong> <strong>saved his wife by telling her to run, as he returned fire and injured suspects despite being gravely wounded</strong></h2>



<h2 class="has-text-color wp-block-heading" style="color:#342c2c;font-size:16px"><strong>Two injured suspects, one listed in critical condition drove themselves to hospital where they were arrested</strong></h2>



<h2 class="has-text-color wp-block-heading" style="color:#342c2c;font-size:16px"><strong>The third suspect fled and remains at large ;</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Darren-Almendarez-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-403856" width="838" height="1159"/><figcaption><strong>Harris County Sheriff&#8217;s Deputy Darren Almendarez, [photo], was shot and killed in front of his wife, whom he reportedly saved, after engaging thieves about to steal parts from his truck on Thursday ;</strong></figcaption></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">An off-duty Harris County ;sheriff&#8217;s deputy was shot and killed after exiting a Houston grocery store with his wife on Thursday night and discovering armed men trying to steal the catalytic converter from his truck, then engaging the robbers in a firefight. <br>The deadly shootout, which also left two of the three suspects wounded, took place outside ;Joe V&#8217;s Smart Shop in the 2900 block of FM 1960, at 8.40pm. ;<br>Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez stated that 51-year-old Deputy Darren Almendarez and his wife were out shopping for groceries in preparation for a cookout to celebrate his sister&#8217;s birthday on Friday when the tragic encounter happened. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Darren-Almendarez-shooting-scene-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-403859" width="839" height="493"/><figcaption><strong>Almendarez and his wife walked out of a grocery store on ;FM 1960 in Houston on Thursday night and spotted three men allegedly trying to steal the catalytic converter from their truck</strong></figcaption></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Almendarez and his wife walked out of a grocery store on ;FM 1960 and spotted three men allegedly trying to steal the catalytic converter from their truck<br>Almendarez&#8217;s wife noticed a trio of suspects trying to pry the catalytic converter &#8211; ;an exhaust emission control device made of precious metals &#8211; off their parked vehicle. ;<br>Gonzalez told his wife to run as he confronted the thieves, one of whom pulled out a gun and opened fire, fatally shooting the deputy.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Darren-Almendarez-and-his-wife-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-403866" width="835" height="639"/><figcaption><strong>Almendarez was described as a loving husband and father. He told his wife to run while he confronted the suspects, one of whom allegedly pulled out a gun and opened fire, striking the deputy</strong></figcaption></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Almendarez told his wife to run while he confronted the suspects, one of whom allegedly, pulled out a gun and opened fire, striking the deputy. <br>Despite being mortally wounded, Almendarez returned fire and struck two of the three suspects.<br>&#8216;He told his wife to run, to get away from danger as he put himself in harm&#8217;s way to protect the rest of the community and to try and stop a crime,&#8217; the sheriff said during a press conference on Friday. ;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Darren-Almendarez-bullet-riddled-vehicle-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-403860" width="848" height="435"/><figcaption><strong>Despite being mortally wounded, Almendarez returned fire and shot two of the three suspects. Their bullet-riddled car is seen outside a hospital</strong></figcaption></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The mortally wounded 23-year police veteran returning fire, hit two of the robbers while the third suspect fled the scene and remained at large as of Friday, reported ;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://abc13.com/deputy-shot-and-killed-darren-almendarez-shooting-joe-vs-smart-shop-catalytic-converter-theft/11699863/?fbclid=IwAR2W8L2qVJUVJkPQR9sq0ssc0iSf4dyUV37P6HOXVkwGdYZgAnh6SE1yWpM" target="_blank">ABC13</a>. ;<br>The injured suspects drove themselves to a hospital, where one was listed in a critical condition and the other in a stable condition. <br>Almendarez was rushed to HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest, where he later succumbed to his injuries.<br>&#8216;At a personal level and as sheriff, that&#8217;s evil. We&#8217;ve got evil individuals that are out there,&#8217; Gonzalez said of the shooting. ;<br>He added: &#8216;we lost another hero in our community. We&#8217;re tired of crime in this community,&#8217; reported ;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.fox26houston.com/news/off-duty-hcso-deputy-shot-in-grocery-store-parking-lot-in-harris-co-sheriff-says?fbclid=IwAR1FDRwGGG6M8s-fIR7G1ERRgcNK0k_To_XuE3hEQ0m7Paw8B1PZPfftto0" target="_blank">Fox26</a>.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Darren-Almendarez-4.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-403869" width="841" height="624"/><figcaption><strong>Almendarez had been on the force for 23 years and was assigned to the auto theft division</strong></figcaption></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Gonzalez said that Almendarez was a &#8216;warrior&#8217; and a &#8216;survivor&#8217; who worked low-paying jobs in the fast-food industry and experienced homelessness as a young man, before embarking on a successful career in law enforcement, reported ;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2022/04/01/he-was-a-warrior-what-we-know-about-deputy-darren-almendarez-hcso-veteran-fatally-shot-by-catalytic-converter-theft-suspects-according-to-sheriff/" target="_blank">Click2Houston</a>. ; ;<br>Almendarez ;was assigned to the auto theft division of the sheriff&#8217;s office. He is survived by his wife and children. ;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Darren-Almendarez-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-403862" width="843" height="535"/><figcaption><strong>Almendarez (left and right) had gone to the grocery store to buy provisions for a cookout that he planned to host on Friday to celebrate his sister&#8217;s birthday ;</strong></figcaption></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Almendarez spent the final hours leading up to his brutal death cleaning the house in preparation for his sister&#8217;s birthday party that was planned for Friday, according to ;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/harris-county-deputy-shot-grocery-store-parking-lot-1960-aldine-westfield/285-6a1687ec-2413-4b1f-857a-2f4d76ea1362?fbclid=IwAR0PhzypTIV6piYj8l31h9E84Fqtp6_ODogf_J9MClEtfiojqrJpaFHhVIg" target="_blank">KHOU11</a>.<br>&#8216;He was very happy,&#8217; the sheriff added. ; ;<br>Family and friends have been expressing their condolences and sharing their memories of the fallen deputy on Facebook. ; <br>&#8216;Whenever and wherever he was, he just exuded a special light which illuminated even the darkest and most dangerous of places,&#8217; Rex Evans wrote. ;</p>

Texas cop is shot dead by thieves trying to steal his truck’s catalytic converter in supermarket parking lot, where he’d gone shopping with his wife
