HOUSTON – Two men charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of Pct. 3 Deputy Omar Ursin made their first court appearance Monday morning.
Ahsim Taylor Jr., 20, and Jayland Womack, 20, have both been charged with murder, but it was not their first time being accused of someone’s death.
Both men were already out on bond for two separate murder incidents, and in court on Monday, a judge reset bonds in both of those cases.
Taylor’s bond on charges connected to a June 2021 murder was upped to $2 million and he also received a $1 million bond for a tampering charge.
Womack’s bond was reset to $2 million for his original murder charge in January 2021.
Previous cases
Taylor was previously charged with capital murder and tampering with evidence. He is accused of shooting a man to death during an attempted robbery. A judge originally set his bond at $200,000 but it was lowered by Judge Amy Martin to $75,000. Taylor reportedly violated his bond on Jan. 1, 2021, but there was never a motion to revoke his bond by prosecutors or a judge.
Womack was charged with murder on Jan. 3, 2021. He and another suspect are accused of killing a man a day before. A judge set his bond at $35,000 in that case. His bond was revoked on Dec. 4, 2021 for having contact with the second suspect in the case and for being in possession of marijuana and firearms. Womack was taken into custody and his bond was raised to $75,000, which he made on Dec. 24.
Deputy Ursin’s death
On Aug. 29, deputies with the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office responded to reports of a shooting in the 11900 block of Madera Run Parkway in Atascocita around 6:30 p.m. Deputies said the caller reportedly heard gunshots and said that someone was shot inside of a vehicle.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they found a small car crashed into a tree in the median of the roadway. The driver, who was alone in the vehicle, was identified as 37-year-old Deputy Ursin. He had suffered at least one gunshot wound and was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators said he was fatally shot while returning home from picking up food for his family.
According to investigators with HCSO Homicide and Crime Scene units, witnesses observed a dark-colored, newer model four-door sedan with tinted windows driving next to Ursin as they drove eastbound on Madera Run Parkway. The suspect shot into Ursin’s car and struck the victim, deputies said. The suspect’s vehicle fled northbound on Olympic National Drive.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said both men were out on bond in separate murder cases.
GPS evidence
During their court appearance, prosecutors said the Harris County Sheriff’s Office obtained records from a GPS company to check and see if any GPS monitors were in the area after the shooting. Prosecutors said the data shows the two were in the area around the time witnesses heard gunshots.
According to prosecutors, 30 minutes after the shooting, a Shell gas station surveillance video showed Womack get out of the vehicle and go inside. The passenger never came out but GPS data shows Taylor was in the vicinity of the gas station. The data shows both then went to their homes.
“The GPS monitoring system showed them at the scene of the murder not at home, at a job or with their family,” said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
“You have two defendants on bond now charged with murder. I wish I could say anomaly or say this is unusual, but this is par for the course for everything we are seeing in Harris County,” said Andy Kahan, Director of Victim Services for Crime Stoppers.
Previous coverage:
Family, friends, colleagues to honor Harris County Pct. 3 Constable Deputy Omar Ursin at funeral
Funeral arrangements announced for fallen Harris County Pct. 3 Constable Deputy Omar Ursin
