"I want to look at his wife and children and tell them thank you," Mike Howard told ABC13.
Howard plans to attend the funeral service for Brazoria County Sheriff's Office Deputy Jesus "Jesse" Vargas, who was killed in the line of duty on Wednesday in southwest Houston.
His murder was captured on disturbing video as he was gunned down by Robert Lee Davis III. Davis, who also shot a police K-9, was shot and killed after a massive manhunt.
Howard said Davis was the suspect in his shooting, and it is why Vargas was there in the first place.
"To hear Officer Vargas lost his life on my behalf serving a warrant is absolutely... I get goosebumps thinking about it," Howard said.
Last October, as Howard was with his teenage son at a 7-11 in Iowa Colony, Brazoria County, he encountered Davis, who was supposed to be fixing the brakes on his black SUV, Howard said. Instead, the vehicle was stolen and stripped. Howard reported it to the Galveston County Sheriff's Office but when Davis saw him that day, he retaliated.
"I was like, 'Whoa, are you going to shoot me in front of the store?'" recalled Howard. "When I turned around, he was like, 'Boom, boom. And I literally almost fell into my son's arms."
Howard was shot twice, once in each leg. He lost a lot of blood and had to be airlifted to the hospital. When he woke up, he said Vargas' was one of the first faces he saw.
"I opened my eyes in the hospital, and he said, 'Don't worry about it. We're going to get him,'" Howard remembered.
Davis was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Keeping his promise, Vargas and another deputy from the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office tracked Davis to a shopping center on Stella Link. When Vargas attempted to arrest Davis, he was immediately met with deadly gunfire.
"He was a really good guy, real genuine. Adamant about his job," Howard said.
The 41-year-old deputy made an impression on Howard and he wants to share that with his family.
"I'm here for you because Officer Vargas was there for me. He got a demon off the street," Howard said.
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