Deputy Jesus Jesse Vargas, a 41-year-old Hispanic officer with 17 years at the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office and a member of the U.S. Marshal’s Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, was fatally shot on January 15, 2025, in a shopping center on Stella Link Road near the I-610 South Loop in Houston while attempting to serve a warrant. Officers approached a brown pickup where 56-year-old Robert Lee Davis, also known as Sean Christopher Davis, was a passenger; Davis opened fire, striking Vargas before fleeing.

A large multiagency manhunt followed. Davis was later found hiding in a dumpster near the scene; after a police K-9 named Rocky alerted officers, Davis shot the dog and officers returned fire, killing Davis. Rocky was taken for treatment and reported in stable condition. Vargas is survived by his wife and three children and has been remembered as a mentor and devoted family man. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the warrant and Davis’s criminal history.

If anyone witnessed the shooting or the moments immediately before or after, can you share what you saw or any dashcam or video that might help investigators?