HOUSTON (Covering Katy News) — A Houston man was sentenced Thursday to 50 years in prison for shooting a deputy constable seven times in the legs, severely wounding him in 2017.
“Our law enforcement officers are out on the streets every day and night to protect us and try to help,” Ogg said. “And when someone intentionally shoots one of our officers, we will take it to trial to get justice, to ensure that they spend the rest of their life behind bars.”
Constantine Argyriou, 44, was sentenced by the same Harris County jury that convicted him of aggravated assault of a public servant, a first-degree felony with the same range of punishment as a murder charge.
During the five-day trial, jurors heard evidence that Precinct 4 Constable’s Deputy Justin Gay responded to a call at Argyriou’s home in northwest Houston about an ongoing family violence incident.
Upon arriving, witnesses told Gay that Argyriou had left the house and was in a nearby grassy area.
When Gay located Argyriou and attempted to detain him, a struggle ensued. While Argyriou was on the ground as Gay tried to handcuff him, Argyriou pulled out a pistol and shot the deputy. He then stood over Gay, fired several more shots into his legs, and fled. Argyriou was arrested about a mile away, and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
The deputy was flown by LifeFlight to Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center in critical condition. He survived and was able to walk again four months after the incident. Although he returned to work as a peace officer, he testified that the injuries left him with chronic pain.
Assistant District Attorneys Sepi Zimmer and Bryan Honeycutt, both chiefs in the Major Offenders Division of the District Attorney’s Office, prosecuted the case.
“We’re proud of the jury for telling the community that we will stand up for law enforcement in Harris County,” Zimmer said. “They said, emphatically, that anybody who shoots cops will go to prison for a long, long time.”
Argyriou must serve at least half of the 50-year sentence before being eligible for parole consideration by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.