U.S. Marshals K-9 Wounded Hunting Down Accused Killer of Texas Deputy

Jan. 16, 2025

Rocky, a U.S. Marshals Service K-9, located a gunman in a Houston dumpster after the suspect allegedly shot and killed Brazoria County Sheriff's Deputy Jesus Vargas.

Joe Vince

A U.S. Marshals Service K-9 was shot and wounded Wednesday during a shootout with a gunman accused of killing a Texas deputy.

Brazoria County Sheriff's Deputy Jesus Vargas was shot and killed Wednesday when he and another officer approached a suspect—identified as Robert Lee Davis—at a Houston strip mall to execute an arrest warrant. The shooting sparked an hourslong search for Davis.

According to Houston police, Rocky, a U.S. Marshals Service K-9, found Davis hiding in a Houston dumpster, KTRK-TV reports. He had been hiding in the trash for roughly five hours.

Davis began shooting when officers lifted open the dumpster's lid. Rocky was struck twice in the exchange, and police returned fire.

Davis was fatally shot in the shooting. Seriously wounded, Seriously wounded, Rocky was airlifted to an animal hospital.

"We lost a hero today. We almost lost two," said District Attorney Sean Teare.

Brazoria County, TX, Sheriff's Deputy Jesus Vargas..

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Veteran Texas Deputy Killed while Executing Arrest Warrant

Brazoria County Sheriff's Deputy Jesus Vargas, a 17-year law enforcement veteran, was shot after he and another officer approached a suspect at a strip mall in southwest Houston.

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.