A Houston police sergeant with 25 years on the force was killed in the line of duty Monday after responding to a call for help, authorities said.
Sgt. Sean Rios, 47, was on his way to his shift at the airport when he responded to a call of shots fired, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo told reporters.
At the scene of the shooting, Rios engaged in a shootout with a suspect on the freeway at about 1:30 p.m., according to Acevedo.
It was unclear what happened before the shootout, but Acevedo said Rios was wounded during the exchange. Rios ran away to a nearby motel, where he collapsed and died, Acevedo said.
Acevedo said officers were still looking for the suspect involved in the incident.
“We are going to catch you,” Acevedo said. “Do yourself a favor and turn yourself in.”
Acevedo said the Houston Police Department was heartbroken over his death and extended his condolences to Rios’ family.
"We will never forget him and will see his 4 children, family and friends through this painful loss,” he said on Twitter on Monday.
Rios' death was the fourth line-of-duty death for the police department since December.
Late last year, a Texas police officer was killed while responding to a domestic violence call, police said. In May, another police officer was killed when his helicopter clipped a building and crashed into a neighborhood in Houston, according to authorities.
And last month, a 65-year-old Houston police sergeant was killed after investigating a report of a “disturbance” and was fatally shot, police said.
