Houston man sentenced after shooting constable deputy in the legs 7 times

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A Houston man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for shooting and severely wounding a deputy constable in 2017 after shooting him in the legs seven times, says Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.

Constantine Argyriou, 44, had his sentence handed down on Thursday by a Harris County jury after being found guilty of aggravated assault of a public servant, a first-degree felony which has the same punishment as a murder charge.

During the incident in 2017, Precinct 4 Constable’s Deputy Justin Gay responded to a call about a family violence situation at Argyriou’s home in northwest Houston. Witnesses told the deputy Argyriou was in a nearby grassy area was hiding.

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Gay found Argyriou and the two got into a struggle when the deputy attempted to detain him. Argyriou pulled out a pistol and shot the officer several times in the legs, leaving him critically injured. Argyriou ran from the scene but was arrested about a mile away.

"Our law enforcement officers are out on the streets every day and night to protect us and try to help," Ogg said. "And when someone intentionally shoots one of our officers, we will take it to trial to get justice, to ensure that they spend the rest of their life behind bars."

Deputy Gay was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition but made a remarkable recovery, regaining the ability to walk four months after the shooting. Despite returning to work, he testified during the trial that the injuries continue to cause him chronic pain.

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Assistant District Attorneys Sepi Zimmer and Bryan Honeycutt prosecuted the case. "We’re proud of the jury for telling the community that we will stand up for law enforcement in Harris County," Zimmer said. "They said, emphatically, that anybody who shoots cops will go to prison for a long, long time."

Argyriou will be required to serve at least half of his sentence before being eligible for parole.