Sheriff’s deputy shot dead at a petrol station in Houston

The Texas officer was shot multiple times from behind while filling his car with petrol

Sheriff’s deputy Deputy Darren Goforth (47) has been shot and killed in an ambush at a Houston, Texas petrol station. Video: REUTERS

A sheriff's deputy pumping fuel into his patrol car was shot and killed on Friday in an ambush at a Houston petrol station, authorities said.

A search was under way for the officer's killer, who was described as a male dressed in a white t-shirt, driving a red truck, the Harris County Sheriff's office said.

The deputy was in uniform and filling up his car with gas when the gunman approached from behind and fired several shots, sheriff’s office spokesman Deputy Thomas Gilliland told reporters.

“The deputy then fell to the ground. The suspect then continued over to him and shot the deputy again multiple times as the deputy laid on the ground,” he said.

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Live video from the scene in northwest Houston, about 20 miles from downtown, showed police tape across the perimeter of the petrol station.

Dozens of officers were on the scene.

The deputy was described as a 10-year veteran assigned to the west district, Gilliland said.

Reuters