Deputy constable found dead in car in NE Houston:

By CAROL CHRISTIAN

2011 Houston Chronicle

April 12, 2011, 8:16PM

Houston police are investigating the apparent shooting death of an off-duty Harris County deputy constable found dead in a car early Tuesday.

Precinct 4 Deputy Ronnie E. Brewer, 47, was identified as the man Houston police found in a car that crashed into a utility pole about 1:20 a.m. in the 8900 block of Ramin near Laura Koppe in northeast Houston.

Police have made no arrests in the case. "We've been questioning witnesses," police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said. "It's still an active investigation."

Officers who responded to a 911 call about the crash found a man slumped in the driver's seat, dead of an apparent gunshot wound, police said. About noon, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences released Brewer's identity.

According to a Precinct 4 news release, Brewer had worked in law enforcement for about 13 years, beginning with the Harris County Sheriff's Office in 1998.

Diligent and genial
He had been with Precinct 4 since November 2003, most recently working nights patrolling the toll road, said Precinct 4 Assistant Chief Mark Herman. Monday was Brewer's night off, Herman said.

Herman described Brewer as diligent and a genial coworker.

"He was a deputy whose name very, very seldom came across your desk," Herman said. "He had a great smile and always had a positive attitude."

A member of the department's honor guard, Brewer also helped with community fundraisers, Herman said.

The site of the accident Tuesday was about five blocks from the home of Brewer's parents, Mary and R.L. Brewer, Herman said.

The assistant chief said he had visited the Brewers' home after learning of their son's death.

"After meeting the mother and father, I know where Ronnie got his likableness and his passion for life," Herman said. "You could tell they had raised him with high morals. They raised him to be a good guy."

Funeral arrangements were pending, Herman said.

Anyone with information about the case should call Houston police at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477 (TIPS).

carol.christian@chron.com

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 17778.html