A manhunt is underway in Houston for the person officials say fatally shot a sheriff’s deputy Wednesday as he attempted to serve an arrest warrant in a shopping plaza. Houston police said they are looking for 56-year-old Robert Lee Davis III, aka Sean Davis. Police said Davis opened fire on Brazoria County Sheriff’s Deputy Jesus Vargas as he approached him with a warrant. WANTED IN THIS SHOOTING: Robert Lee Davis AKA Sean Christopher Davis, 56. He is a black male, approx. 200 pounds, 5'10" & last seen wearing a blue Nike hoodie with white lettering, blue jeans & blue sneakers.Anyone with information should call HPD or @CrimeStopHOU. https://t.co/YS1Vwr2pD8 pic.twitter.com/t6cvc1PP2t— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) January 15, 2025 Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Davis had a lengthy criminal history, including aggravated assault, and that Vargas and his partner had been working with a U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force to locate him and serve the warrant. “This afternoon, we lost a local hero, Deputy Sheriff Vargas from Missouri County Sheriff’s Office, working a U.S. Marshal Task Force, attempted to apprehend a repeat violent offender here on the streets of Houston, and he lost his life,” said Whitmire. Crime scene tape surrounded the parking lot of a shopping plaza after the shooting. “We are working tirelessly. We’ve got a team right now putting their lives on the line to try to catch this guy’s already shot a police officer,” said Houston Chief of Police J. Noe Diaz. “So thank you to the community. Thank you for allowing us to serve in this capacity. And rest assured that this bad guy will be brought to justice.” Authorities said the large-scale search for the shooting suspect included helicopters, K-9s and teams of officers. “There’s a lot of manpower out there to try and bring this person to justice,” Diaz said. Brazoria County Sheriff Bo Stallman said Vargas was a 17-year sheriff’s department veteran, was married and had three children. Law enforcement officials described Vargas as a true crime fighter and vowed to bring Davis to justice for the slaying. Davis is at large and is to be considered armed and highly dangerous. If you see him, call 911. A Houston-area elementary school and a neighborhood were temporarily locked down while multiple law enforcement agencies joined in the search for Davis.