HOUSTON — The man accused of shooting and killing a Pct. 4 Corporal was in Harris County court Monday morning for the first time.
Athir Murady, 40, appeared before a judge on murder charges wearing a yellow jumpsuit.
The bond hearing comes more than three weeks after Murady's arrest in Galveston in the shooting death of Cpl. Maher Husseini.
It was back on Sept. 3 when police say he shot Husseini who was on his way to work at the Precinct 4 Constable's Office. The victim was at a traffic light at Richmond and Fondren when prosecutors say Murady shot him 13 times.
Witnesses provided a detailed description of the shooter and his vehicle which was tracked to Galveston County. After a brief chase, Murady drove his car into the water and tried to swim away. He was eventually rescued and arrested.
“We want to make sure the community is safe. He is a very dangerous person,” prosecutor Kathryn Roders said. “So we just want to make sure all the citizens in Harris County and other counties are protected from him.”
The judge chose not to set a bond in the case on Monday.
A handful of officers from Precinct 4 were in the courtroom in support of the corporal. Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said Husseini had just been promoted to corporal the week before he was gunned down.
According to court records, the motive was a past beef between Husseini, who owned a security company, and Murady, who owned a security company in North Texas. An employee said Husseini accused Murady of trying to steal business. The two men were seen in a parking lot outside Husseini's company having a "cordial" conversation and shaking hands moments before the shooting.