Officers, family and citizens all came out Friday to pay their final respects to Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Darren Goforth at one of Houston's largest churches, the Second Baptist Church. Mourners spilled outside of the 7,000-capacity church, with over 11,000 in attendance. A 21-gun salute and flyover by police helicopters were carried out in honor of the slain sheriff's deputy, according to the New York Daily News.
"We come to this place with heavy hearts, and have questions we don't really understand," Lt. Don Savell, the chaplain for the sheriff's department, said as the ceremony at Second Baptist Church began. "We gather to share the grief we all feel and perhaps to find the strength to bear our sorrow and to look for seeds of hope."
Pastor Ed Young's sermon promised a community standing in unison, without divide. "There will be a new Houston, a new Texas, a new America. And you can write it down: We have your back," Young said.
One of the most heartfelt moments came when Goforth's 5-year-old-son Ryan was seen wearing a Captain America t-shirt under his suit jacket, holding hands with his mother Kathleen, according to NPR. Goforth's longtime friend, police Lt. Roland De Los Santos, told the packed church that Ryan Goforth and his father had recently purchased matching Captain America T-shirts --- and that while Ryan has his on today, "underneath his uniform, so does Darren." The crowd erupted in applause.
Goforth was shot while he pumped gas, a week ago. "He was literally gunned down in what appears to be an unprovoked, execution-style killing," Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman said, as previously reported by HNGN.. "I have been in law enforcement for 45 years, I have never seen anything this cold-blooded."
"He was just a very likeable good guy and I will say this: He will be missed," said De Los Santos, a friend since childhood. "I'm gonna miss him greatly."