Hundreds of mourners turned out to remember a Harris County Precinct 7 deputy who died earlier this month.
Harris County Precinct 7 Constable Deputy Jennifer Chavis died April 2 when a suspected drunk driver slammed into the back of her patrol car.
That evening, authorities received calls about a possibly intoxicated driver in a large truck who had fled an accident, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
Chavis responded, parked her patrol vehicle on the side of Beltway 8 and waited for the driver to pass so she could then follow and pull him over, authorities said.
The driver ended up crashing into the back of Chavis’ patrol car, which burst into flames, said Harris County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Anthony McConnell. Chavis died at the scene.
Good Samaritans who witnessed the crash pulled over and kept the truck driver from fleeing, Gonzalez said.
The truck driver, Adolfo Serrano, 36, was charged with intoxication manslaughter of a peace officer.
An Army veteran, Chavis began working for Precinct 7 in November 2020 and was assigned to the Toll Road Division. She leaves behind her husband, their 4-year-old child, and the 11-year-old nephew they were raising together.
On Wednesday, family, friends, and law enforcement officers attended Fountain of Praise Church in Houston to lay her to rest.
Here are some of the most powerful remembrances from mourners Wednesday.
Deputy Chavis’s mother
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick
“I’ve been to too many of these. I was elected in 2015 as lieutenant governor. We’ve had nearly 60 men and women in law enforcement killed in the line of duty -- in seven years. I’ve been to most of those funerals. I seldom speak because I think it’s a time for family and friends and those in the brotherhood of law enforcement who know the fallen to speak. But I also honor the wishes of the family. Now, Billion, I saw your name and I thought ‘Where does that name come from?’ And I looked at the photograph of your mom up there and I realized she named you after her smile. Because she doesn’t have a million-dollar smile, she has a billion-dollar smile.”
Watch the full funeral service here.