The wife of a Texas sheriff’s deputy who was ambushed and gunned down at a Houston-area gas station Friday said Saturday that her husband was a good man and her best friend.
"There are no words for this," Kathleen Goforth said of her late husband, Harris County sheriff’s deputy Darren Goforth, in a statement Saturday. "My husband was an incredibly intricate blend of toughness and gentility. He was always loyal, fiercely so. He was ethical. The right thing to do is what guided his internal compass," she said.
Darren Goforth, 47, was fatally shot by a gunman who opened fire on him from behind at a Chevron station at around 8:20 p.m. Friday, police said. Shannon J. Miles, 30, of Houston, was arrested Saturday and charged with capital murder.
A motive has not been determined, but Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman said investigators don’t believe that Goforth and Miles had any previous contact, and it appears the killing was an unprovoked act of violence. Goforth was a 10-year veteran of the sheriff’s office.
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"He was good. If people want to know what kind of man he was, this is it: He was who you wanted for a friend, a colleague and a neighbor," Kathleen Goforth said in the statement, which was read by a family friend. "However, it was I who was blessed so richly, that I had the privilege of calling him my husband and my best friend."
Hundreds gathered at the gas station Saturday to pay tribute to Goforth and show their support for police. Flowers and balloons were laid around the pump where the deputy was killed.
