GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — The vehicle connected with a Harris County Precinct 4 constable deputy’s murder may not have been spotted if it weren’t for an attentive Galveston deputy city marshal who was on his way home from work.
The Galveston Police Department offered information about its involvement in the arrest of the suspect identified by the Galveston County district attorney as Athir Murady.
According to District Attorney Jack Roady, Murady is charged with the felony offense of evading arrest.
“He is being treated in the hospital. Our office will request that he be denied bail,” Roady disclosed in a statement Wednesday.
From its viewpoint, GPD said it received information about a “be on the lookout” alert for a vehicle and license plate belonging to the suspect vehicle involved in Deputy Maher Husseini’s murder, which authorities said occurred a couple of hours earlier and 60 miles away in southwest Houston.
According to Galveston PD, Sgt. Nick Yeley, a deputy city marshal, noticed the vehicle that matched the description in a parking lot in the 6700 block of Broadway while driving home.
“I was on the phone with my dad and happened to look over and notice this car sitting parked,” Yeley said in a GPD news release. “It matched the description of the (be on the lookout alert) perfectly. I said, ‘Dad, I’ve got to call you back,’ and immediately called GPD dispatch to report the vehicle.”
Galveston police said Yeley kept his eyes on the suspect and took in details about what he saw.
“I think it was just fate that I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and I was utilizing the skills Marshal Butch Stroud and Assistant Marshal James Pope, as well as my fellow marshals, have taught me. We are taught to also be observant and vigilant of our surroundings,” Yeley said.
Police said Yeley met officers at the Target parking lot, where they began staging and preparing for the apprehension. GPD said Murady allegedly started driving on the feeder road and began driving erratically through the parking lots of businesses in the area. The suspect drove north on 77th Street, crossing Harborside into the Channelview neighborhood. Murady allegedly continued and eventually drove into the bay, where he abandoned the vehicle and ran into deeper water.
GPD said Murady continued to evade police in the water, but officers never lost sight of him. He was seen waving his arms while treading water for nearly half an hour. They said a law enforcement vessel brought the man aboard, kept resisting, was bitten by a police K-9, and then rushed to hospital. Murady is expected to be booked into the Galveston County Jail.
While a murder charge remains pending, authorities accuse Murady of shooting and killing Husseini while he was inside his vehicle at a red light on Tuesday.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Man accused of gunning down Pct. 4 deputy in custody after driving into Galveston Bay: Authorities
Only on 13, the new video shows the gunfire at a busy intersection in southwest Houston. After the tragic shooting, the suspect was found 60 miles away in Galveston Bay.
The suspect allegedly got out of his own vehicle on Richmond Avenue at Fondren Road, went up to Husseini, and shot him.
Husseini was taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Surveillance video obtained by ABC13 shows the suspect running away after the gunfire.
Officials initially identified their suspect as an Asian/Middle Eastern man between 35 and 40 years old.
The suspect took off after the shooting but was later spotted in the League City area before driving his vehicle into the water.
So far, it’s unclear if the suspect and Husseini knew each other. Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said that is part of the investigation.
“I don’t have the information to give you now about what occurred, but our homicide division is working around the clock to get that information,” Diaz said. “We still have to get a lot of interviews. There is video near the area from businesses, so we will work all that together to make sure we provide the facts to the community.”
Additional charges are likely pending for Murady as the investigation continues.
Pct. 4 Constable Mark Herman said he promoted Husseini, who has been with the agency since 2021, a week ago.
Husseini’s brother told ABC13 he was married and leaves behind children.
On Tuesday night, a somber procession carried Husseini’s body in a flag-draped casket from Ben Taub Hospital in the Medical Center to the Medical Examiner’s Office.
“It’s too much. There’s total chaos in our communities and we got to get it fixed,” Herman said outside of the hospital. “My mentality with law enforcement, and all of you know me, is to fight, fight, fight. The only thing these criminals understand is force.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott weighed in on the brutal murder, saying, “the dangerous criminal who ambushed and murdered Deputy Constable Husseini will have the full weight of the law brought down upon him.”
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
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