Houston Sheriff’s Deputy Buried

More than a thousand mourners came to honor the life of a Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy who died Friday morning at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston.

Fernando Esqueda, a five-year veteran of the department, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of July 11 while surveilling the home of an assault suspect.

After a daylong manhunt, two men were finally arrested and charged with the attack, using the same handcuffs Esqueda was wearing before his death.

On Friday, Esqueda’s colleagues in the department rushed to the doors to attend the ceremony, where the halls were packed.

Once the funeral began, two young sheriff’s officers guarded the doors in cream-colored wide-brimmed hats and white gloves. Inside the church, a sea of ​​men and women in black uniforms filled the cross-shaped cathedral.

As pastors from Esqueda’s hometown led the large congregation in prayer, some of their fellow deputies sat silently, their hands holding their hats turned inside out. Others, like Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Jose Gomez, knelt on the cathedral’s marble floor.

Esqueda’s immediate family attended the ceremony, as did his grieving fiancée, Emily Guerra, whom he planned to marry in September. Nearby, Esqueda’s extended family clutched bundles of tissues left for them in the pews of the church filled with more than 1,200 mourners.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez spoke of Esqueda’s character and passion for the job of protecting the community.

Esqueda’s personality was “electric,” Gonzalez said. He described him as a true crime fighter, an “accomplished musician” and a drummer.

“Well done, Fernando,” he said to the faithful. “We’ll take the watch.”

After the service, Esqueda’s family accompanied the casket out the doors.

They were greeted by rows of law enforcement officers from across the state standing in salute beneath a huge American flag waving in the wind. As bagpipes blared and church bells rang, family members wept.

In honor of the fallen officer, fellow officers saluted, presented an American flag to Esqueda’s immediate family and played taps as a light breeze blew across St. Joseph’s Parkway.

“Your service and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” a dispatcher’s voice said loudly from the many police vehicles in the neighborhood.

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