A man named Shannon J. Miles has been charged with capital murder after shooting a 10-year veteran and Houston officer 15 times in the back of the head, according to authorities Monday.
Miles has had a criminal record in the past, some of which include resisting arrest and disorderly conduct with a firearm. The 30-year-old Houston resident appeared in state District Court Monday, but said little. He has been held without bond, according to The Associated Press.
Devon Anderson, a Harris County District Attorney, read the probable cause statement in court. She said that on Friday, the police officer received a call at 8:20 p.m. When authorities arrived at the scene of the shooting, which was at a gas station in the Houston suburb of Cypress, they found the officer dead, lying face-down.
In a surveillance video obtained from the gas station, the 47-year-old officer came out of a convenience store after pumping gas on his vehicle, after which Miles stepped out of his red truck.
"He runs up behind Deputy Goforth and puts the gun to the back of his head and shoots. Deputy Goforth hits the ground and then he continues to unload his gun, shooting repeatedly into the back of Deputy Goforth," said Anderson.
Anderson added that Goforth had been shot 15 times, with a witness claiming to have seen the gruesome scene. According to Anderson, shell casings found in the scene matched the .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun authorities found inside the home of Miles.
There remains to be no motive for the shooting, and Anderson has denied any comment on the matter, adding that investigators are still in the process of finding out what the motive is. Anderson also did not provide much explanation as to whether heightened tensions in the US between law enforcement and civilians have had any connection to the incident.
"I have no idea whether it does or not," Anderson stated.
According to Sheriff Ron Hickman this weekend, the attack was "clearly unprovoked," and that there remains no evidence that Deputy Darren Goforth had known the shooter, Miles.
"Our assumption is that he (Goforth) was a target because he wore a uniform," said the sheriff.
One of Miles' two court-appointed attorneys, Anthony Osso, has told The Associated Press that Miles is pleading not guilty.
The next court date set for Miles is October 5.
As such, the Houston deputy killing has prompted strong emotions within the area's law enforcement community. Sheriff Hickman linked the incident with the heightened tension over police treatment to African-Americans. Miles is black while GoForth was white.
Expressing his opinion on the current issue, Sen. Ted Cruz recently blamed President Obama for the ambush murder, saying that the president's criticism against the police has created the dangerous climate the country is in.
"Cops across this country are feeling the assault," Cruz said during a town hall meeting in Milford, N.H. "They're feeling the assault from the president, from the top on down, as we see - whether it's in Ferguson or Baltimore, the response from senior officials, the president or the attorney general, is to vilify law enforcement. That's wrong. It's fundamentally wrong. It's endangering all of our safety and security."
Following the massive revolts in Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore involving racial tensions between police and black residents, the president has ordered improved policing, as well as nonviolent protests by angry citizens.
Cruz has again asserted that Obama only caused a widened gap between the two parties.
However, according to The Dallas Morning News, Cruz himself has been criticized for his opinions.
Last week, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner has reportedly referred to him as a "jackass" while the speaker vented to a group of GOP donors in Colorado, describing a junior senator who has repeatedly meddled with the House.
