Deon Ledet Biography – Wiki
Deon Ledet was a Texas man accused of shooting two Houston police officers who were serving an arrest warrant at a Harris County home. Ledet and an officer were shot and killed during the September 20, 2021 incident. The other officer survived the shooting and is in stable condition after undergoing surgery at a Houston hospital.
Ledet was identified as the suspect by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. Ledet, 31, was charged with violating the conditions of his bail release in a felony drug crime case, according to Harris County court records. He did not show up for a meeting to receive an ankle monitor and skipped a court hearing in early 2021, court records show. The warrant was carried out by the Houston Police Major Offenders Division, which handles arrest warrants for “more serious” high-level felonies, authorities said. Ledet has a criminal record dating back more than a decade, including several felony arrests.
Age
Deon Ledet is 54-years-old.
Family & Siblings
Ledet’s family told the Houston Chronicle that he was the father of six children. He worked as a security guard at a junkyard, Ledet’s family told the newspaper. Few other details about Ledet were immediately available.
Heavy was not immediately able to reach Ledet’s family for comment. Ledet was born on August 15, 1991, according to court records. Ledet’s address was listed on the most recent court documents as the same as the Harris County apartment where police were serving the arrest prior to the shooting.
The Houston Police Union wrote on Facebook: “Deon Ledet was a violent career criminal with countless convictions for targeting and victimizing innocent people. He should never have been out on bail, as he was facing life in prison for the two most recent charges from him. After numerous arrests, state prison, two separate trips to prison, and parole violations, Deon Ledet continued to illegally possess firearms and prey on the citizens of Houston. The Harris County court system failed our community once again. #HarrisCounty deserves better than Judge Greg Glass. ”
Finner said Jeffrey was a “great family man.” He began working for the Houston Police Department in December 1990 and had served in the Major Offenders Division since 2013.
“31 years of service, just a few days before that,” Finner told reporters at a news conference. “Most of us know him personally. I have known him for my entire career. His wife just retired, they were building his dream house. I want to celebrate the service of him and all of our officers across the country and in this great city. ”
Turner said: “In speaking to his wife of him this morning, Susanne,… One thing that she made very clear to me this morning was,“ Mayor, the city of Houston lost the best. The best ”. I wanted to echo that this morning because she was so emphatic about it. Let’s raise up his wife Susanne, let’s raise up the entire family of Senior Police Officer William “Bill” Jeffrey. ”
Finner added: “Every police officer, every first responder is special. But like his wife he said, he’s one of our best. And I’m telling you, I’m going to celebrate that. ”
Charged & Arrested
Houston Police Senior Officer William “Bill” Jeffrey was killed in the shooting. The 54-year-old had worked in the police department for nearly 31 years. His wife, Susanne Jeffrey, was also a police officer. He retired from the police department in December 2020. Sergeant Michael Vance was injured in the shooting. He is expected to survive.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told a news conference: “This has been a tragic day today, it is another reminder that police work is inherently dangerous. Police officers never know what they will face when they leave their homes while on duty. … I’m going to ask the city of Houston to pray for both families. Pray for the Jeffrey family and pray for Sergeant Vance’s full recovery. ”
Authorities say Deon Ledet opened fire on officers who were serving him with an arrest warrant at a home where he lived with his girlfriend in Harris County. The shooting happened around 7:30 a.m. in the gated community of Timber Ridge on Aeropark Drive, authorities said at a news conference. Turner said two officers were shot multiple times and that Ledet was killed by officers who responded to the fire.
“We had assigned officers from the Major Offenders Division executing a warrant,” Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said at a news conference. “There was a knock on the door. The woman comes to the door, has a conversation with her, asks where the suspect is, the suspect immediately came out and shot our officers. Unfortunately, I hit Bill several times. And as we know, he succumbed to his injuries. Sergeant Michael Vance, thank goodness we brought it here early and they’re working on it and it’s in stable condition. ”
Finner added: “You have a suspect with the girlfriend, with young children in that apartment complex and he still shot our officers. The officers responded to fire and at some point beat the suspect. The suspect died at the scene.” The shooting is being investigated by Harris County authorities, along with the Houston police internal affairs unit and the district attorney’s office, Finner said.
Ledet was arrested in November 2020 on a felony charge charging him with possession with the intent to deliver/manufacture methamphetamine and possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), according to Harris County court records.
Released on Bail
Harris County prosecutors sought to have Ledet held without bail, calling him a “habitual offender.” His bail was set at $ 40,000 by a Magistrate Judge and was ultimately lowered to $ 20,000 by State District Judge Greg Glass. He was released from jail after posting a $ 20,000 bond. But court records show Ledet failed to show up for an ankle monitor appointment and missed a court appearance in December 2020. He had been a wanted fugitive since January 2021.
The Houston Police Officers Union tweeted: “Ledet should never have been free, like a true regular offender with two previous TDCJ trips by Agg Assault. Instead of NO-BOND, they gave him bail, he violated his conditions, gave him another bail, and then jumped bail, never charged with skipping bail. It’s an embarrassment to the 208th District Court. ”
Criminal History
Ledet has at least 18 criminal arrests dating back to when he was 18, according to records from the Texas Department of Public Safety and Harris County. He was arrested by Houston police in 2008 and later convicted of evading arrest with a vehicle in January 2010. He was sentenced to six months in jail. Ledet initially received a deferred sentence and two years of probation on his 2009 felony sentence from state jail but violated his probation, records show.
In 2013, Ledet was convicted of misdemeanor theft of a vehicle and evading arrest with a prior conviction and was sentenced to 290 days in jail. In 2015, Ledet was convicted of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and sentenced to three years in prison. He was released on parole in 2018.
Ledet has also had previous arrests in Harris County on charges that include felons in possession of a weapon, assault on a family member, violation of a protection order, providing false information to a police officer, and attempted evasion of the arrest.