'One of its very best': Houston police officer shot and killed in the line of duty

The City of Houston is mourning the loss of "one of its very best," Senior Officer William "Bill" Jeffrey who was shot and killed during the execution of a high-level felony warrant in Aeropark earlier this week.

Jeffrey, who was accompanied by Sgt. Michael Vance, was in the midst of serving an arrest warrant in the 530 block of Aeropark when he was shot multiple times, KHOU reported. Vance was injured during the incident. 

"@houstonpolice Senior Officer William 'Bill' Jeffrey was an exemplary protector of the people of our city," Mayor Sylvester Turner (D-Houston) wrote in a tweet the day Jeffrey was killed. "He dedicated 31 years of his life to HPD. Today, he died a hero. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Suzanne, an HPD retired officer, and their child."

During a press conference, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said at around 7:28 a.m. officers knocked on the door in an attempt to serve the warrant. Finner said they asked the woman where the suspect was when he came out and fired upon the officers. 

"You got a suspect, with a female girlfriend, with small kids in that apartment complex, and he still fired upon our officers," Finner said during the press conference which was later shared on the police department's Twitter page. "Officers returned fire, at some point striking the suspect. The suspect is deceased at the scene."

According to KHOU, the man who was killed was identified as Deon Ledet, 30. 

"This has been a tragic day today," Turner said during the same press conference. "It is another reminder that police work is inherently dangerous and you never know, police officers never know what they are going to face when they leave their homes during the course of their duty."

Turner asked the city to pray for the families of both officers. 

Click2Houston reported Vance, 49, required surgery after he was shot in the abdomen and hip areas.

Finner said the criminal investigation would be handled by Harris County, but, as with any officer-involved shooting, Houston Police internal affairs will also be conducting their own investigation.