Man found guilty of killing Pct. 4 deputy in 2021 ambush shooting outside nightclub

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man will spend his life in jail without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of killing Harris County Precinct 4 Deputy Constable Kareem Atkins, according to officials.

On Thursday, Eddie Miller was found guilty of capital murder in the 2021 ambush shooting of Atkins.

The shooting happened at about 2:15 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2021, in the 4400 block of the North Freeway near Crosstimbers at the 45 Norte Bar and Lounge.

Atkins and two other deputies were working an extra job at the nightclub when they tried to respond to a disturbance outside that may have been a robbery, according to police at the time.

As two deputies were trying to detain someone, a second suspect with a rifle came around a car and fired several shots at them, the Houston Police Department said.

Atkins had been with Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman's Office since January 2019 and had just returned from paternity leave at the time.

Following Miller's verdict, Herman's officer released the following statement:

"(Thursday), the man who murdered Deputy Kareem Atkins was found guilty of Capital Murder. I pray this verdict will bring a small sense of comfort to his family, who has endured this nightmare for the past (four) years. Grateful for the hard work by HPD detectives, and our district attorney prosecutors who brought this cop killer to justice."

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