A church in Rockwall hosted the funeral for Officer Richard Houston, the Mesquite Police officer killed last Friday. Family, friends and other officers filled Lakepointe Church.
"I want to make it as clear as I possibly can from the very beginning there is no doubt Richard was a follower of Jesus," says Houston's pastor, Randy Wade. "Shelly [his wife] said he loved being a police officer, but for him, it was always more than a profession, it was a profession that gave him daily opportunities to share his faith. Because of that, we grieve today, but we grieve as people who have hope."
Wade says a dispatcher who had gone on a ride-along with Houston asked him if he ever gets scared on the job.
"He was like, 'well, yeah,' but he said, 'if anything ever happens, I know where I'm going,'" Wade says. "Today, we enter into this place with that assurance. That's why we have hope, and we have peace that is beyond our understanding."
"I knew his day would come at some point in my life. However, I didn't think it would come so soon," says Houston's oldest daughter, Shelby.
She says she was nervous about getting up to preach for the first time last Wednesday. She says Houston texted her.
"He said, 'Sometimes it feels overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you everything will be okay. You got this. Remember that no matter what, me and your mom got your back always and forever," Shelby Houston said.
Wade listed the commendations Houston had earned in his career, including 48 letters of commendation, two Life-Saving Awards, and one Police Commendation Bar.
Houston was responding to a call about a disturbance last Friday. The suspect, Jamie Jaramillo, has been charged with capital murder of a peace officer.
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