Holly MatkinHouston, TX – Harris County Constable’s Office (HCCO) Precinct 5 Corporal Charles Galloway was murdered in the line of duty during a traffic stop early Sunday morning.
The attack occurred in the 9100-block of Beechnut Street at approximately 12:45 a.m. on Jan. 23, KHOU reported.
The 47-year-old corporal was conducting a traffic stop on a newer, white four-door Toyota Avalon when the driver suddenly got out of his vehicle and “immediately fired upon the deputy multiple times,” Houston Police Department (HPD) Chief Troy Finner told reporters.
Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap said the deadly attack occurred before Cpl. Galloway even had time to react or to defend himself, KHOU reported.
The corporal was pronounced dead at the scene, according to KSAT.
The unidentified suspect fled the area immediately after the attack and remained on the loose.
Police described him as a “younger Hispanic male” and said he used “an assault-type weapon” to murder Cpl. Galloway, FOX News reported.
The HPD is handling the ongoing investigation into Cpl. Galloway’s murder.
“Message to the suspect, the best thing you can do is turn yourself in peacefully,” Chief Finner said during the press conference, according to KHOU.
Constable Heap said the number of brazen attacks on the nations’ law enforcement officers is evidence of the degradation of society.
“When somebody decides to engage and take the life of a police officer because of a routine traffic stop, then I think we have a breakdown in how society is supposed to be,” he told KHOU. “We have got to put an end to this. I don’t want to raise my family, my grandchildren, in a county where this type of crime is running rampant.”
Cpl. Galloway served the HCSO for more than 12 years, KHOU reported.
He worked in many positions within the Patrol Division during his lengthy career.
Cpl. Galloway was most recently assigned to the agency’s Toll Road Division, where he served as a field training officer on night shifts, KHOU reported.
Constable Heap said the corporal was a mentor to many of the department’s younger officers.
“There is a lot of very broken up officers who he meant a lot in their lives because he was the one sitting in the front seat with him,” the constable said. “He was the one teaching them what to do and how to get home safely to their families and here we are this evening with the roles reversed.”
Cpl. Galloway leaves behind his daughter and his sisters, KHOU reported.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick released a statement Sunday honoring the slain corporal and offering his condolences to his family, according to KSAT.
“Harris County Precinct 5 Corporal Charles Galloway was murdered at a traffic stop early this morning. He was gunned down before even getting out of the car or pulling his weapon,” Patrick said. “The continued violence against law enforcement must end and respect for law enforcement must be restored if we are going to live in a civil society. Please join Jan and me in prayers for the family.”
A Precinct 5 deputy has been shot and killed during an apparent traffic stop this morning in Southwest Houston. Precinct 5 deputies are on the scene and HPD will be handling the investigation. Prayers for the deputy's family and his brothers and sisters in blue. #hounews pic.twitter.com/MxvdlSXKJH
— Harris County Pct 5 (@HCpct5) January 23, 2022
HPD and @HCpct5 provide an escort for the fallen deputy constable to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences https://t.co/HH711SONmU
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) January 23, 2022
The #FBI sends our condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Corporal Charles Galloway. He served @HCpct5 for more than 12 years. pic.twitter.com/YNI12rsonw
— FBI (@FBI) January 23, 2022
Harris County Pct. 5 deputy shot, killed during traffic stop
🇺🇸Corporal Charles Galloway EOW 01-23-2022
Harris County Sheriff's Office Pct. 5 💙🙏https://t.co/DY7mvjRtjI#BackTheBlue #ThinBlueLine #dog #K9 #police #military #MWD #WaronDrugs #LivePD pic.twitter.com/VEq5aGtmHQ— Tactical Dog (@TacticalDogLive) January 23, 2022
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 5 Corporal Charles Galloway, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Corporal Charles Galloway, your life mattered.
