Two Houston police officers shot, one fatally, well-respected by peers
HOUSTON - The officers who were shot Monday morning are both veterans of the Houston Police Department.
HPD Sgt. Michael Vance and Senior Police Officer William "Bill" Jeffrey were both taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Sgt. Vance was rushed into surgery where he remains in stable condition.
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After doctors did all they could to save Senior Officer Jeffrey, who was shot several times, he was pronounced dead there at the hospital.
His sisters and brothers in blue lined up along Cambridge Street to escort his body from the hospital to the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office.
"And everywhere we move him this week we’re going to make sure we give him honor," says Houston Police Chief Troy Finner.
Officer Jeffrey’s wife Suzanne was at the hospital by his side. She also happens to be a retired police officer.
"She retired December of last year and one thing she made very clear to me this morning, she said mayor the city of Houston lost the very best, the very best," says Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
"I've known him my entire career and just as his wife said what a great man, what great officer. He was the very best," adds Chief Finner.
Senior Houston Police Officer William "Bill" Jeffrey was shot and killed while trying to serve an arrest warrant on Monday, Sept. 20, 2021.
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Officer Jeffrey had been on the force 31 years. He and his wife have one child and they were in the middle of building their dream home.
"I'm going to ask the city of Houston to pray for both families. Pray for the Jeffrey family and pray for the full recovery for Sgt. Vance," the mayor says.
"Sgt. Michael Vance, thank God we got him here early and quickly and they’re working on him," says the chief. Sgt. Vance who has a wife and two kids is a 20 year veteran of HPD, a department now in mourning. "But you know what? Right now I want to celebrate the service of him and all of our officers around the nation," says Chief Finner.
The Houston Police Officer’s Union is making counselors and the Chaplin available for officers who need extra support after many Houston police officers not only lost a colleague but also a friend.
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"I want the whole city to step up and just pray for the family and pray for our department because this is the thing, first responders we can’t shut it down. It’s not an assembly line. We’ve got to keep it moving and that’s what we intend to do. We will continue to support the families as we do," says Chief Finner.
"The Houston Police Officers Union will be here to support the family as well as those officers of those respective divisions where they work. We’ll be here to support them as well as some of our additional resources. We have our Peer Support Unit as well as our Chaplin," says HPOU VP Ken Neely.