Harris County Deputy Omar Diaz lost his life while pursuing his passion for serving others.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet Saturday that Diaz was responding to a stabbing in northwest Houston.
While responding to that stabbing, Gonzalez said Diaz had suffered an unknown medical crisis.
Authorities said Diaz collapsed while outside the property, so he was rushed to North Cypress Medical Center. Doctors were unable to revive him; he passed away, Gonzalez said.
Remembering Omar Diaz
Diaz's family and colleagues admired his motivation and accomplishments. The 39-year-old is survived by his wife, 7-year-old daughter and parents. In 2009 he began his career with the Harris County Sheriff's Office as a detention officer, but his goal was always to become a deputy.
READ: Deputy who died after suffering medical emergency at stabbing scene identified
"His father was telling me that it was just always his dream to be a deputy," said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. "He worked extremely hard every step of the way whenever there was another milestone that he needed to reach, another step that he needed to advance."
In 2018, Diaz fulfilled that dream, and his family could not have been more proud. Gonzalez recalled how they bragged about his accomplishments to everyone they met.
"Our academy has a lot of rigor to the program, but he passed every step successfully and graduated in October of last year," said Gonzalez. "We were there at his pinning ceremony and he was just very proud."
Diaz excelled as a deputy and was a well-liked by both his supervisors and colleagues. Gonzalez said everyone at the Sheriff's Office was impressed by his work ethic and passion for the job.
"We're out there to serve and protect, and that's exactly what he was doing -- living his passion out there this morning when he was out assisting others," said Gonzalez.
The sheriff is asking everyone to keep Diaz's family in their thoughts and prayers.