Duty Death: Robert Parker White - [El Paso]
End of Service: 31/10/2014
By Aaron Martinez
El Paso Times
EL PASO, Texs — An El Paso County constable died early Saturday morning in a fight while working a security detail in Canutillo during a Halloween event, officials said.
Robert White, who was constable for Precinct 1, was punched in the face and then fell to the ground, according to an arrest affidavit.
White was not responding and “bleeding profusely,” the affidavit states.
Officials said a 19-year-old soldier from Fort Bliss was arrested in connection with White’s death.
A witness at the scene told El Paso County sheriff’s deputies that White had lost “a large amount of blood.”
According to the affidavit, White was wearing his constable’s uniform.
“Constable Robert White was a true professional who represented the very essence of public service,” Sheriff Richard Wiles said in a statement. “This incident is a tragic reminder of the dangers faced by our law enforcement officers as they work to protect us all. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends and ask that the El Paso community keep them in your thoughts and prayers.”
El Paso County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call about 12:30 a.m. in the 400 block of Anthony Avenue in Canutillo. The incident took place at WinkeyDoodles Paintball Adventures, which had just hosted the Terror Trail Haunted House, officials said.
White was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Constable White,” County Judge Veronica Escobar said in a statement. “He was a man of integrity, hard working, a dedicated public servant, and someone many of us admired. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
The sheriff’s office Crime Against Persons detectives and crime scene investigators were called to the scene.
The investigation revealed White and 19-year-old Devon Huerta-Person were involved in a fight. Witnesses identified Huerta-Person as the suspect and told investigators that he had fled the scene on foot, the affidavit states.
Huerta-Person was arrested on suspicion of capital murder and was booked into El Paso County Jail on a $5 million bond.
White also was a physical education teacher at Putnam Elementary School for 17 years, EPISD officials said.
“Coach White was a phenomenal man,” Putnam Elementary School Principal Cynthia Sanchez said in a statement. “He always worked to ensure that our kids were safe. He was super proactive.”
EPISD officials said counselors will be made available on Monday to all students and staff at Putnam Elementary School.
“Our deepest condolences go out to Mr. White’s family,” EPISD Superintendent Juan Cabrera said in a statement. “The students of EPISD were privileged to have such a great role model like him. “
According to the El Paso Times archive, White graduated from Coronado High School, University of Texas at El Paso and the El Paso Community College Law Enforcement Training Academy.
White was a noticeable figure in the El Paso Community. He helped start several programs including adding extra patrol units at local schools in 2011. He also had high-profile arrests including rappers Paul Wall (Paul Michael Slayton, 30,) and Baby Bash (Ronald Ray Bryant, 41,) outside a nightclub in 2011 on suspicion of possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana in a drug-free zone.
In 2009, White was involved in a shooting in which a 32-year-old man was wounded outside of the Bandolero’s Night Club on Lee Trevino Drive in East El Paso, according to the El Paso Times archive. The victim, David Gutierrez, sued El Paso County which resulted in a $125,000 settlement.
According to the El Paso Times archive, White and another man heard gunshots outside the club and saw Gutierrez running away. White fired several shots striking Gutierrez.
Copyright 2014 the El Paso Times