Little Caesars pizza shop customer pistol-whips staff and kills elite cop over wrong order

An irate Little Caesars customer allegedly pistol-whipped staff members after they got his order wrong - and then went on to kill an elite cop in what authorities are now calling a 'senseless' crime.

Harris County Chief Deputy Mike Lee said deputies received a call shortly after 10pm Wednesday night, regarding an aggravated assault at a Little Caesars pizza shop in Houston, Texas, where a suspect allegedly became upset that his order was wrong.

The suspect - who has since been identified as 44-year-old Ronnie Palmer - started to verbally assault the clerk at the counter, officials say.

He then allegedly pistol-whipped the employee before fleeing the scene.

The injured clerk was later able to provide officers with a description of the suspect's vehicle and his license plate - which Deputy Fernando Esqueda was able to track down. 

Ronnie Palmer, 44, was taken into custody late Thursday after allegedly attacking a Little Caesars employee and shooting dead an elite officer

Officials say Palmer became irate after Little Caesars employees got his order wrong 

The 28-year-old deputy, who was working overtime to keep residents safe in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, then notified his team members that he thought he spotted the vehicle.

'During that phone conversation, our deputy was apparently ambushed,' Lee said at a Thursday morning news conference.

He said that other detectives in the area rushed to his location, and 'saw his undercover vehicle with multiple gun strikes in it.'

They also noticed that Esqueda was shot multiple times, and rushed him to the hospital in one of their patrol cars, but he was later pronounced dead.

One of the first deputies to arrive to Esqueda's location was his own sister, who 'pulled him out of the car,' another sister told ABC 13. 

Deputy Fernando Esqueda, 28, notified his colleagues that he spotted Palmer's vehicle when  he was shot multiple times

A number of houses and a vehicle across the street were also hit by gunfire, ABC 13 reports.

Fortunately, neighbors said the people who lived in the homes were not there at the time due to some ongoing power outages. 

The shooting prompted a manhunt for Palmer, with even Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announcing a $10,000 reward for is arrest.

SWAT teams later setting up barriers at two locations in an effort to capture the suspect, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote on social media.

He was finally taken into custody late Thursday night for the assault on the Little Caesars employee and as a person of interest in the capital murder of Esqueda - who was a five year veteran of the sheriff's department.

Esqueda was a five year veteran of the sheriff's department, working in the Violent Person Task Force

Esqueda had worked in the sheriff's department's Violent Person Task Force, which Lee said hunts down child rapists, homicide suspects and 'some of the most egregious criminals out there.'

'He went after the worst of the worst,' the chief deputy said at the news conference Thursday, saying there was 'so much promise unfulfilled.'

Sheriff Gonzalez also wrote on social media that Esqueda 'was dedicated to protecting and serving the residents of Harris County.

'We pray with Deputy Esqueda's family, friends and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time,' he said.

'Deputy Esqueda's commitment to duty and his sacrifice will always be remembered.' 

He had earlier worked as an East Aldine Pro Active Deputy, according to Terry Garza, who said she was his sergeant

She described Esqueda, second from right, as 'one of the best deputies I ever had to supervise' and 'an amazing patrolman with a heart of gold'

Prior to joining the sheriff's office, Esqueda was an East Aldine Pro Active Deputy, according to Terry Garza, who said she was his sergeant.

She described him in a Facebook post as 'one of the best deputies I ever had to supervise,' and 'an amazing patrolman with a heart of gold.'

Garza noted Esqueda once responded to a call in which children did not have any food, and he and his partner went out to buy food and snacks so that they could eat.

'Kids always wanted to take photos with him because he was a role model to them and he always had a big smile on his face,' she recounted.

'He worked so hard so the community could be safe.

'Rest in peace young hero!!'