Houston Police officer Steve Perez was determined to rescue those struggling with Hurricane Harvey. His wife warned him to stay home because it was too dangerous. Perez responded by saying, "We've got work to do."
At 4 a.m. Perez left his home to make the two hour drive to his station, located in downtown Houston. On his way there he was unable to find a path. He rerouted and attempted to report at the nearest station, which is located in Kingwood. On the way there he made a wrong turn and was drowned in nearly 16 feet of flood water.
More, per Daily Wire:
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo cried at a Tuesday press conference as he recounted what happened to Perez. He stated: "Unfortunately, in the darkness, Sergeant Perez drove into an underpass that’s about 16 and a half feet, drove into the water and he died in a flood in a drowning.” He added, “He was a sweet, gentle public servant.”
Acevedo continued, “Here’s a man who didn’t spend 20 minutes and then come back and say, ‘Hey, I tried,’; he spent close to two and a half hours because he has that in his DNA.” He said he told Perez's wife:
“Let me ask you something, ma’am, you’re a person of faith. If the Lord was going to take him today, how do you think he would want to go, laying in bed, watching a disaster, or doing what he’s done for 34 years?” And the smile that overcame that woman’s face, his beautiful wife, said it all: If it was his turn to go, she said, this is the way he would have wanted to go.
Acevedo concluded, "We will continue. This police department is resilient, as is this community and I look forward to taking this man and giving him the honors and his family that he so richly deserves."
It is with a heavy heart that we announce the tragic in the line of duty death of Sergeant Steve Perez. pic.twitter.com/cHJxjnFgII
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) August 29, 2017
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Perez family. Sergeant Steve Perez was certainly one of the good guys.
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