Paper: Houston Chronicle

Date: Thu 02/21/2008

Section: B Page: 1 MetFront Edition: 3 STAR

Precinct 6 deputy dies from gunfight wounds / Veteran officer is mourned by his colleagues

By KEVIN MORAN, MIKE GLENN

STAFF

Harris County Precinct 6 Deputy Constable Harry Thielepape, who was shot more than three weeks ago while working security at an apartment complex, died early Wednesday. He was 57.

Thielepape, who survived several surgeries to repair gunshot wounds, was with family members at Memorial Hermann Hospital when he died, Precinct 6 spokesman Danny Perez said.

Thielepape's death left some of his Precinct 6 colleagues who attended a news conference Wednesday in tears.

"He fought this injury all the way through to the end," said Cpl. Gerald Caldwell, who was at the hospital when Thielepape was pronounced dead.

"He was a special guy," Precinct 6 Constable Victor Trevino said after learning of his longtime deputy's death. "He always wanted to be in law enforcement and he fulfilled his dream."

Caldwell and other Precinct 6 deputies placed black bands of mourning across their badges after learning of their colleague's death. Some bore the Latin phrase Nemo me impune lacessit. "No one assails me with impunity," is the English translation, Caldwell said.

Thielepape worked first as a reserve deputy, then became a full-time deputy six years ago, Trevino said. Thielepape was a corporal and assigned to a special squad that sought out parole violators in the precinct, Trevino said.

"He had a great sense of humor," Trevino said. "When he first came to work, I had trouble pronouncing his name and I asked him if it would be OK if I just called him `Tailpipe'. He just laughed and said that would be fine, so I called him Tailpipe."

Family members, including his son, Harry Thielepape III, were meeting with Precinct 6 officials to plan a funeral, Trevino said. Although Thielepape did not speak during his hospitalization, he responded at least once when his adult son asked him to squeeze his hand, Precinct 6 officials said.

Thielepape was working a part-time security job at the north Harris County apartment complex Jan. 26 when he apparently became suspicious of Jesus Gilbert Reyna, 21, who was wanted on a pair of Class C misdemeanor warrants.

Officer wore his badge

Thielepape was assigned to a unit at the Precinct 6 constable's office that is charged with apprehending felony suspects and parole violators. Fellow officers speculated that Thielepape was looking for Reyna at the time.

Thielepape was not in uniform but wore his badge on a chain around his neck and a protective vest, officials said.

Witnesses reported seeing him pull his unmarked police car in front of Reyna, detectives said.

Thielepape took Reyna into custody after finding marijuana and a handgun on him, authorities said. He then handcuffed him and placed him in the back seat of the car.

A veteran with more than 10 years of experience, Thielepape likely would have secured the handcuffs behind Reyna's back, officials said.

Thielepape may have spotted Reyna struggling with the handcuffs and gone went to check that he was still secured.

Reyna was able to grab Thielepape's service pistol and began shooting, detectives said. The deputy constable "took cover by a car and used his backup weapon," an investigator said two days after the incident. "He really did a great job, considering he'd already been hit a couple of times."

After the gunfight, Reyna was found dead, lying in the parking lot with the handcuffs in front, officials said.

Many shots were fired

Apartment residents reported hearing up to 20 gunshots fired in the exchange, but detectives said there were no witnesses.

Reyna, a U.S. citizen, had a Harris County criminal record, most recently receiving two 30-day jail sentences in January 2007 for drug possession.

Just the day before Thielepape was shot, Trevino said the two discussed why he worked security at apartment complexes that had known criminal problems.

"There are a lot of good people there," Trevino quoted Thielepape as saying. "They need to feel safe."

 

Copyright notice: All materials in this archive are copyrighted by Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division, Hearst Newspapers Partnership, L.P., or its news and feature syndicates and wire services. No materials may be directly or indirectly published, posted to Internet and intranet distribution channels, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed in any medium. Neither these materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use.