HOUSTON — A third person who was charged in the fatal shooting of off-duty Harris County Precinct 3 Deputy Constable Omar Ursin has been taken into custody, according to authorities.
It was back in August 2022 when the deputy constable, who was off duty at the time, was shot and killed while driving home after picking up dinner for his family.
Officials had been searching for Douglas Wooten. According to court documents, He’s charged with murder. Investigators believe that Wooten was the person who pulled the trigger on Aug. 28, 2022, off Madera Run Parkway.
"He is currently in custody and we are very happy about that," Rebecca Marshall, Chief Prosecutor of the Homicide Division within the Harris County DA's Office, said.
According to the charging document obtained by KHOU 11 News, one person in the carload of suspects said Wooten was the shooter, stating Wooten let down his back window and shot at the car Ursin was driving. The document also states that Wooten shot Ursin because he claimed Ursin pointed a gun at him and others he was with, but the charging document states Ursin’s weapon was holstered.
Ahsim Taylor Jr. and Jayland Womack are two other suspects who were charged with murder in the case. They were charged in September 2022.
"We were able to initially charge the driver and the front seat passenger ... through further investigation, we were able to develop Douglas Wooten as the back seat passenger shooter," Marshall said.
Court documents said Wooten moved to multiple locations after the shooting. He was arrested on Nov. 27 in St. Paul, Minnesota, authorities said.
"Through some intelligence, apparently he was spotted in a vehicle. It was believed he may have some ties to St. Paul, Minnesota," Marshall said.
While he is in custody, he hasn't been brought back to Harris County.
Who was Deputy Constable Omar Ursin?
Ursin was a six-year veteran of the department and a Channelview native. Before entering the police academy, he volunteered with youth outreach programs where he mentored foster children.
“He was loved. He was a father and a husband and he had a family so our hearts are broken for them and the agency as well as the law enforcement community," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said during our coverage back in 2022.
"Ursin has been described as a devoted dad, husband and son who "loved his family immensely," the Harris County Sheriff's Office wrote in a statement. "As a department, we are in utter disbelief and unable to comprehend this senseless act. Deputy Ursin was a colleague, a friend, a brother and so much more."