Police chief on slain Texas officer: 100% sure it was an ambush
Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman says it is ‘no doubt’ the killing was an ambush and an ‘attack on law enforcement.’
A 19-year-old old suspect was arrested with the handcuffs that belonged to the police officer he is charged with killing.
Eddie Alberto Miller was charged nearly two months after a fatal ambush shooting that killed a Houston-area deputy and wounded two others, Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman told "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday.
Eddie Alberto Miller, 19, is charged in the death of a Harris County constable deputy and wounding two others. (Houston Police Department )
"I was briefed on it and I can tell you with 100% certainty it was an ambush. These individuals were shot from the back in the course of trying to make an arrest and so, you know, there’s no doubt it was an ambush and an attack on law enforcement," he said.
TEXAS MAN CHARGED IN AMBUSH ATTACK THAT KILLED DEPUTY, WOUNDED TWO OTHERS
Miller was taken into custody Sunday and is charged with capital murder of a police officer, attempted capital murder of a police officer, and aggravated assault against a public servant.
Investigators believe Miller shot and killed Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Deputy Kareem Atkins, 30, and wounded Deputies Juqaim Barthen, 26, and Darrell Garrett, 28, in an Oct. 16 ambush attack. All three were working security at the 45 Norte Bar and Lounge when they were alerted about a possible robbery.
L-R: Juqaim Barthen, Darrell Garret, and Kareem Atkins. (Mark Herman, Harris County Constable Precinct 4) (Mark Herman, Harris County Constable Precinct 4)
When they tried to intervene, they were allegedly shot from behind by someone with an AR-15 rifle.
The shooter fled, but police announced a search and a $76,000 reward.
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Herman, who has been working in law enforcement for 36 years, said for the last three years he has seen the mainstream media demonize police and try to pit local communities against the police. But he said the attack on the officers led to an outpouring of support from the Houston area.
"The American people love their police. The outpouring of support from this incident, we’ve had officers from as far as New York come down and attend the funeral services, phone calls, e-mails, the American people are smart people. They need their police, and we need our communities."
Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
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