Fox News Today:
A Houston police officer was killed in the line of duty Saturday night, shot multiple times while responding to a domestic violence call, authorities confirmed.
A woman reported to police that her boyfriend was assaulting her and armed with two firearms. When Sgt. Christopher Brewster, 32, found the couple three streets away from the house police had responded to, the suspect shot him as he got out of his car, police said.
Houston police Sgt. Christopher Brewster, seen in an undated photo, was shot and killed Saturday evening, Dec. 7, 2019, by a man who had been reported for assault, authorities say. (Houston Police Department via AP)
“Although he was mortally wounded, he had the presence of mind to draw his pistol out of his holster to protect himself in case the suspect came up and he also had the presence of mind and courage to put out and broadcast suspect information that was critical for the responding units,” Houston police Chief Art Acevedo said.
Acevedo said the shooting was captured on Brewster’s body camera. “What people will see is a coward who took the life of a hero.”
Brewster died about 30 minutes after the shooting, Acevedo said.
The 25-year-old suspect, armed with a semi-automatic pistol, was arrested near a school after he fled the scene.
Acevedo later tweeted that “a second firearm and other evidence” had been collected at the crime scene, and confirmed that Brewster had been wearing a protective vest at the time.
“Tonight & Every Night we Back The Blue in Houston & across Texas,” Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted after the shooting. He also called Brewster’s family to offer his condolences.
U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, called the officer’s death “heartbreaking.”
“We’re the Houston Police Department,” Acevado said, mentioning Sgt. Steve Perez who drowned while serving during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. “We pause, we pray and we drive forward.”
Brewster graduated from the police academy in 2010 and is survived by his wife, parents and sisters.
He was promoted to sergeant in February.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.