HOUSTON -- His wife warned him not to go. He insisted.
Steve Perez, a 34-year Houston police officer, drowned in his patrol car in Harvey floodwaters, a tearful Chief Art Acevedo said Tuesday afternoon.
Perez, days shy of his 61st birthday, was in his patrol car driving to work downtown Sunday morning when he got trapped in high water.
"A UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter and crew from US Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations rescues residents in areas flooded by Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017."
When he did not arrive for regular roll call Monday, officers called his wife, who said she had not seen him since Sunday. They narrowed their search to the Hardy Tollway and Beltway 8, Acevedo said.
Acevedo, with tears in his eyes, said officers searched for Perez on Monday night but could not recover his body.
"We could not put more officers at risk for what we knew in our hearts would be a recovery mission," he said. Search and rescue crews, including a dive team and a "Cajun Navy" member, recovered his body on Tuesday, Acevedo said.
Acevedo called Perez "a sweet, gentle public servant."
"He was trying different routes, and took a wrong turn," one high-ranking official said, asking not to be identified.
The officer's death is the 15th fatality in Texas claimed by Hurricane Harvey or the rains it spawned after making landfall, as the storm has pushed the city's first response abilities to their limit and as Houston police officers and fire fighters and other first responders have rescued thousands of Houstonians over the past four days.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said Tuesday afternoon that every city official is going "the extra effort."
"Sometimes you find a way to make it happen, or you die in trying. Sgt. Perez lost his life because he tried to make it happen, he tried to get at his post...that's the ultimate sacrifice," he said.
He is survived by a son and his wife, who told him not to go into work in the heavy rains.
That message was echoed by his father-in-law, a Korean War veteran, Acevedo said.
"His response was, 'I've got work to do,'" he said. "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."
Lindsay Ellis contributed. This is a breaking story. Check back soon for more updates.
St. John Barned-Smith covers public safety and major breaking news for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send tips to [email protected].
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