Video shows deputy ambush suspect's surrender in NE Harris Co. neighborhood
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- New video ONLY ON 13 shows the moment a man accused of ambushing a 28-year-old sheriff's deputy surrenders to fugitive task force officers in northeast Harris County.
On Thursday evening, authorities took 44-year-old Ronald "Ronnie" Palmer into custody in connection with an alleged assault at a Little Caesars store the night before. Palmer was previously a person of interest in Deputy Fernando Esqueda's death when the Harris County Sheriff's Office employee was following up on the assault case.
In the video submitted by an ABC13 viewer, Palmer is seen with his arms and hands spread to his side as he walks out of a home on Ghita Lane off C.E. King Parkway. Armed, uniformed officers are in view, taking cover behind vehicles as Palmer walks toward the street. HCSO said officers took him into custody without incident.
"It's my understanding he did place a call (to law enforcement) to say, 'I'm coming out' to announce his exit, and we did it professionally, and he was taken without further incident," Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
The home where Palmer surrendered was described as belonging to an acquaintance of an acquaintance. Deputies believe he had only been there about two hours and had been moving around ever since the shooting.
The video airs amid legal developments in the case. On Friday, Gonzalez said prosecutors filed a capital murder of a police officer charge against Palmer in addition to an aggravated assault count.
Also on Friday, Palmer waived an initial appearance in probable cause court, where a prosecutor and judge read off charging information.
According to the court, an angry Palmer made threats against two employees at a Wallisville Road Little Caesars about his order. Palmer allegedly hit the manager with a gun and caused a cut on his head.
"He was mad because his pizza didn't look like the picture," a probable cause court magistrate said Friday morning. "The manager said - who is one of the two complainants - he gave him a full refund, but he was still angry."
The court said Esqueda followed up on a license plate reading from the case, leading him to the 13200 block of Italian Cypress Trail, where he waited for additional deputies but was shot to death.
In addition, the judge revealed a second person was with Palmer at the Little Caesars store but didn't elaborate on his relationship with the individual.
The probable cause court magistrate said two witnesses placed him at the scene of the shooting.
"The witness said the defendant told her he needed to do some business and got out of the car," the magistrate read. "She heard multiple gunshots. He was standing about 10 feet from the car where the deputy was sitting and was in full uniform and was investigating the (aggravated) assault."
A judge set bond at $100,000 in total for the two aggravated assault counts only. The court referred the capital murder case to the 248th District Court, where Palmer is slated for an appearance on Monday morning.
During a news conference on Thursday night, Gonzalez said if they can charge someone for harboring a fugitive in this case or others, they will because they will "not tolerate it."
He said they were investigating whether anyone else was involved in the case.
Meanwhile, the sheriff's office disclosed information about the deputy's procession from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science to Memorial Oaks Funeral Home off Katy Freeway.
The procession is scheduled for 7 a.m. on Monday. Memorial information could be announced over the weekend.
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