Funeral today for fallen Texas DPS trooper
WALLER, Texas (KTRK) -- Funeral services for DPS trooper Damon Allen will be held at 10 a.m. at the Mexia High School Football Stadium in Mexia.
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Interment will follow at the Salem Cemetery in Freestone County.
"For more than 15 years, Trooper Damon Allen dedicated his life to bravely protecting and helping his fellow Texans," said DPS Director Steven McCraw. "He was an outstanding officer and a loving family man who brought joy to so many around him. We are devastated by his loss - Trooper Allen will be missed beyond measure by all who knew him. Trooper Allen will live on in our hearts, and his sacrifice will never be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers remain with his loved ones, and Trooper Allen and his family will always be a part of the DPS family."
Allen was shot and killed on Thanksgiving during a traffic stop.
Texas DPS officials said Allen stopped Dabrett Montreal Black on the southbound lanes of I-45 near Fairfield for a traffic violation around 3:45 p.m. Thursday. Allen approached the vehicle and made contact with Black. After he returned to his patrol unit, DPS officials believe Black fired multiple shots with a rifle at the trooper. He died at the scene.
Allen had been with Department of Public Safety since 2002. He is survived by his wife and his three children.
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Full statement from Texas DPS Director Steven McCraw:
"Our DPS family is heartbroken tonight after one of Texas' finest law enforcement officers was killed in the line of duty. Texas Highway Patrol Trooper Damon Allen was a loving husband and father of three, and we ask for your prayers for his entire family and his many friends and colleagues during the difficult days ahead. Trooper Allen's dedication to duty, and his bravery and selfless sacrifice on this Thanksgiving Day, will never be forgotten."
Texas Governor Greg Abbott released the following statement:
"With heavy hearts on this Thanksgiving, Cecilia and I express our most sincere condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of the trooper who was callously killed today in the line of duty. As law enforcement continues to search for the individual responsible for this heinous crime, I ask that all of Texas keep this trooper and his brothers and sisters in blue in their thoughts and prayers. The killer will face justice, and the State of Texas will continue to offer our unwavering support for the men and women in law enforcement who keep our communities safe."
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo also gave his condolences.
"Never easy losing a colleague, but even worse on a day like today. Prayers and thoughts are with TxDPS and the family and friends of a trooper shot and killed today," Acevedo said on Twitter.
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