HOUSTON — “We lost one of our heroes."
San Jacinto County Precinct 1 Constable Roy Rogers described Neil Adams as a “good man” after the deputy constable was shot and killed while working an extra job inside a Houston shopping mall Wednesday.
“He worked hard. He took care of his family. He took care of the constituents of his county,” Constable Rogers said during a press conference Wednesday night. “Please pray for Deputy Constable (Neil) Adam’s family.”
According to HPD Chief Troy Finner, at around 4 p.m., there was some type of altercation at the PlazAmericas Mall, formerly Sharpstown Mall, between Deputy Adams and the suspect, whose identity hasn't been released.
During the struggle, Finner says the suspect was able to get Deputy Adams' gun and shoot him. Houston police responded and confronted the suspect in the food court. Finner says the suspect had a sharp object and came at the officers, who then opened fire, killing the suspect.
Both Adams and the suspect were taken to hospitals where they were pronounced dead.
Constable Rogers said Adams went through the police academy in 2012 and worked as the environmental constable for San Jacinto County.
Adam's wife described her husband as a sheepdog who lived to protect.
"My husband always said you can either be a sheep or a sheepdog, and I want everybody to pray for all the sheepdogs out there that are protecting everybody," Dee Dee Adams, the wife of the deputy, said. "And everybody's turned their back on them, and everybody should pray for all of them because they're here for you."
The two HPD officers who shot the suspect have been placed on administrative duty, which is standard procedure.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office is conducting an investigation with HPD, which is the lead agency.