Gunman shoots 3 Texas deputies, killing 1, Houston police say

(CNN) — A man with a rifle shot three Texas constable deputies from behind outside a bar as they were investigating a disturbance early Saturday, killing one of them, authorities said.

One person was taken into custody, though authorities didn’t immediately know whether that person was a suspect or a witness, Houston police Executive Assistant Chief James Jones told reporters.

“We believe they were ambushed, shot from behind … with a rifle,” Jones said.

The shooting happened around 2:15 a.m., after the Harris County Precinct 4 constable deputies — working an extra job at 45 Norte Sports Bar — “went outside to address a disturbance,” Jones said.

“It turns out it may have been a robbery they were intervening in … probably unknown to them at the time,” Jones said.

“They were trying to arrest a suspect or detain a suspect … when they were ambushed,” and shot, Jones said.

The deputies were taken to a hospital, and one died, Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said. Their names were not immediately released.

Of the surviving deputies, one was shot in the back and was in surgery Saturday morning, and the other was shot in the foot and preparing to go into surgery, Herman said early Saturday.

“This is a tough time for Precinct 4. I’m asking for all of our community’s thoughts and prayers for our families,” Herman said.

Investigators believe the shooter was a man in his early 20s, according to Jones. “We hope to have a suspect in custody soon,” Herman said.

Jones asked anyone with information about the shooting to call Houston police.