Two suspects have been arrested in the murder of NOPD Detective Everett Briscoe, shot and killed during a robbery at a Houston restaurant last weekend.
19-year-old Frederick Jackson and 21-year-old Anthony Jenkins were arrested this week at separate locations. Police Chief Troy Finner said both were out on bond for other crimes and one of them had removed his ankle monitor.
They’re charged with capital murder in the death of Detective Everett Briscoe, who was killed outside Grotto Ristorante on Saturday, August 21. Briscoe and friends had just arrived in Houston and were on the patio of the Galleria-area restaurant when armed robbers demanded their belongings. Even after they complied, police say the suspects opened fire on them.
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A second victim, Dyrin Riculfy, was shot in the head and friends say he remains in a coma at a Houston hospital.
“We said that we were going after these suspects, and we were gonna leave no stone unturned, and we didn’t.” Finner said.
“We’re sickened by this bold attack that left one beloved detective dead and his friend still fighting for his life,” District Attorney Kim Ogg said. “Our city’s shaken at how this could happen on a weekend afternoon at a restaurant in the heart of the tourist area. Details are brutal and they are heartbreaking.”
At a news conference, Finner said tips poured in after a reward was raised to $100,000, and a call to Houston Crime Stoppers led them to the suspects.
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Jenkins was arrested Wednesday at an apartment complex in Southwest Houston. Police say they also seized a vehicle matching the description of the one spotted leaving the crime scene.
Jackson was arrested Thursday by the HPD SWAT team.
Both suspects are believed to be behind other Galleria-area robberies, police said, and were out on bond when Briscoe was killed.
Ogg said she will ask for no bond in this case and may pursue the death penalty, saying “death is on the table.”
She said Jenkins was out on a $40,000 bond for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Jackson was also out on bond for an aggravated robbery in 2020. That crime involved someone who was followed from the Galleria area and then robbed of items that exceeded $40,000 in value, the district attorney said.
“As I keep saying, I am opposed — along with the mayor and police chief — to the repeated release of people on multiple bonds. There is no doubt that that’s part of what’s driving the crime rate that all of these members of law enforcement are working so hard to prevent.”
Ogg speculated that the robberies were carried out to help pay for the bond of another person who is currently in custody.
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She said at least one of the suspects is a “known and documented” gang member.
Police are still searching for an unidentified “person-of-interest” in the case.
Chief Finner said he spoke to both of the victims’ wives to let them know about the arrests. He also spoke to Riculfy’s wife on Thursday night, saying “She’s hurting, her family is hurting. Pray for her husband. He’s still fighting. But more importantly, pray for everybody.”
An emotional Finner said he would travel to New Orleans for Briscoe’s funeral. At one point, the chief had to pause when he mentioned his friend, who’s the head of NOPD.
“I know he’s hurting,” Finner said. “Entire city and families — they got a storm approaching and then they have to deal with all this and we’re going to stand with them as a city.”
Detective Briscoe and his friends were part of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, a philanthropic group that puts on a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans. Several members were in Houston for the weekend to visit other Zulu members.
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Zulu president Elroy James said the members had just arrived and checked into Hotel Derek Saturday afternoon. A few of them dropped off their bags and walked across the street to Grotto to smoke cigars and have a few drinks.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner initially announced the reward had been increased from $10,000 to $40,000, but this week Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta added another $60,000 for a total of $100,000. At Friday’s press conference, police would not speculate on who would get the money or if it would be split among multiple tipsters, adding that was a question for Crime Stoppers.
Detective Briscoe’s body arrived back in New Orleans from Houston earlier this week, days after he was shot and killed.
A public viewing to honor New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) Detective and fallen hero, Everett Briscoe, will be held Friday, August 27, from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Mahalia Jackson Theater. A funeral will be at the Xavier University Convocation Center on Saturday, August 28, with a viewing beginning at 8 a.m. followed by the service at 11 a.m.
“I pray this development provides some amount of relief for the family as they prepare to lay Officer Briscoe to rest Saturday in New Orleans,” Mayor Turner said at Friday’s press conference.
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