US cop shot dead in ‘cold-blooded assassination’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A sheriff’s deputy was gunned down from behind and shot multiple times at close range while fuelling his patrol car in a “cold-blooded assassination,” Texas authorities said Saturday, appealing for help in tracking down the killer.

The fatal shooting prompted an emotional reaction from local officials, who pointed their finger at ramped-up rhetoric against police officers in the United States in protests against perceived police brutality, although they had yet to identify a suspect.

A gunman came up from behind and opened fire on Darren Goforth, 47, in a Houston area gas station Friday night, police said.

“The deputy then fell to the ground and the suspect then continued over to him and shot the deputy again multiple times as he laid on the ground,” said deputy Thomas Gilliland on a local ABC affiliate.

Sheriff Ron Hickman said the killing was one of the worst he has seen.

“I’ve been in law enforcement 45 years and I don’t recall another incident this cold-blooded and cowardly,” Hickman said.

Police are looking for a man with a dark complexion seen on gas station video footage and they released photos of him and his car on Twitter.

Goforth, a white, 10-year veteran of the force, was married with two children.

“Our hearts are broken tonight,” tweeted the sheriff’s office.

“I plead today for the public’s assistance in our efforts to bring the suspect to justice he so rightfully deserves,” Hickman added in an update, saying the suspect was still at large.

He said the “working motive” for investigators was “absolute madness.”