R.I.P.

Houston Police Officer Drowns in Patrol Car

Trapped in Hurricane Harvey’s flood waters while driving to work on Sunday morning.

A veteran Houston police officer drowned in his patrol car, The Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday. Sgt. Steve Perez, 60, was driving to work in downtown Houston on Sunday morning when high flood waters trapped his car. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Perez “was a sweet, gentle public servant,” and that the bad weather conditions did not deter him from trying to help people. Perez’s wife urged him to stay home instead of reporting for duty, Acevedo said‏, but the officer responded, “We’ve got work to do.” He had been with the department for the past 34 years and was two days shy of his birthday when he died. Search and rescue teams recovered his body Tuesday morning.