A veteran Houston police officer who died while trying to get to work told his wife, ‘I’ve got work to do’ when she begged him to stay home.
Sgt Steve Perez, 60, was driving in downtown Houston when he found himself trapped in torrents of water on Sunday.
He had left his home at 4am, and tried for two hours to reach his duty station in downtown Houston before attempting to reach the nearest police station, as is department protocol.
Sgt Steve Perez, 60, was driving to work in downtown Houston when he found himself trapped in torrents of water
Houston mayor Sylvester Turner called Perez a hero as he confirmed his death on Twitter
When he did not arrive, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo revealed, officers contacted Perez’s wife Cheryl.
With dangerous flood levels across the city, she had urged him not to report for duty, but Perez had insisted he went into work.
It was not until Monday that the chain of command realized the Perez had failed to show up for duty Sunday, reported KTRK.
A search operation was launched to locate Perez, and on Monday night a dive team was dispatched to an area around Hardy Toll Road and Beltway 8.
The flooding, however, became too severe and it was not until 8am on Tuesday that the divers, assisted by the Cajun Navy and volunteers, were able to recover the officer’s body.
Houston Police also released a statement saying they were proud of Perez’s courage
US Secret Service sent out this tweet paying tribute to the fallen Houston officer Tuesday
Mayor Turner said in a series of tweets this afternoon that Perez, whom he hailed a hero, had served on the force for 34 years and ‘died in trying.’
”I’ve got work to do,’ Perez told wife, who urged him to reconsider reporting for duty,’ the mayor revealed on social media. ‘Sergeant Perez fulfilled his purpose. His mission is complete. This city ought to celebrate his life. 9K police and fire working to serve.’
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said during an emotional press conference on Tuesday afternoon that Sgt Perez left his home in the pouring rain at 4.30am on Sunday to report for duty, even though his wife, Cheryl, urged him to stay home because of the dangerous conditions in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
Perez drove around for two and a half hours, in vain looking for a safe route to his duty station. Eventually, he called his superiors to let them know he was unable to get to the station.
Perez, a 34-year veteran of the department perished in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey when his patrol car sank in the floodwaters Sunday
The cop (not pictured), who had served on the force for more than 30 years, was driving to work in downtown Houston when he found himself trapped in torrents of water
Perez was part of the traffic enforcement division within the Houston Police Department.
Chief Acevedo became choked up at the news conference talking about Perez, whom he said he knew personally and described as ‘one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.’
Perez was about to turn 61 years old soon. He leaves behind his wife, Cheryl, a grown son and daughter.
The officer’s death has been confirmed to the Houston Chronicle earlier by three officials with the Houston Police Department.
‘He was trying different routes and took a wrong turn,’ one high-ranking official told the paper on condition of anonymity.
The officer lost his life at Interstate 45 and the Hardy Toll Road (pictured) in Houston
Having found himself stranded in the deluge after searching for a safe route for two-and-a-half hours, according to Mayor Turner, Perez made an attempt to escape his patrol vehicle but was unable to get out.
So far, 15 people have lost their lives in Texas as a result of Harvey, which made landfall near Corpus Christi on Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane.
The storm has inundated the state with a record 49 inches of rain, causing catastrophic flooding.
So far, 15 people have lost their lives in Texas as a result of Harvey. The photo above shows Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden after rescuing them from their home
Highways around downtown Houston are empty as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey overflow from the bayous around the city Tuesday