The Midland Police Department (MPD) Honor Guard participated in the funeral for fallen Harris County Deputy Fernando Esqueda on July 19. Esqueda, who was 28 years old, was killed in the line of duty in the early morning hours on July 11 while investigating the residence of an assault suspect.
According to a July 22 Facebook post by MPD, the Permian Basin law enforcement agency expressed its sorrow and condolences for Esqueda and its counterparts at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).
Houston NBC affiliate KPRC News reported that Esqueda was undercover when pursuing a male accused of pistol-whipping a Little Caesars pizza employee because of an error with the suspect’s order.
Houston Landing reported that over a thousand people gathered at Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston to mourn Esqueda, who served five years with HCSO.
The publication reported that a daylong manhunt yielded two males, who were arrested with the same handcuffs that Esqueda carried at the time of his death.
Esqueda’s obituary on the Dignity Memorial website described him as a "loving & caring brother" to six siblings and a "fatherly" uncle to eight nieces and nephews.
He was engaged to Emily Guerra, and the couple was supposed to get married on September 14 of this year, the obituary said.