Who is Robert Lee Davis III? What we know about the suspect in deputy's shooting

The Brief

• Robert Lee Davis III has been shot and killed, according to Houston Police.

• Davis is accused of shooting and killing a Brazoria County deputy on Wednesday.

• Deputies were attempting to serve a warrant for Davis at the time of the shooting.

HOUSTON – The suspect who police say fatally shot Brazoria County deputy Jesus Vargas in southwest Houston was killed on Wednesday evening.

Law enforcement had issued a Blue Alert for Robert Lee Davis III, who also goes by Sean Christopher Davis.

Deputy Shooting Suspect Killed in Houston

What we know

Officials say members of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force attempted to serve an aggravated assault warrant for Robert Lee Davis III on Wednesday morning in the 9300 block of Stella Link Road in southwest Houston.

When deputies approached Davis, police say the fugitive shot Brazoria County Deputy Jesus Vargas in the head. He was later pronounced dead.

After the shooting, Davis ran from the scene.

Hours after the original shooting, FOX 26 reporters heard several gunshots.

Houston police say that Davis was shot and killed behind the businesses near the original shooting scene on Stella Link.

What we don’t know

Police have not said how law enforcement was able to track down Davis.

What they’re saying

“We’ve got a team right now putting their lives on the line to try to catch this guy who already shot a police officer,” said Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz. “Rest assured this bad guy will be brought to justice.”

Robert Lee Davis III aka Sean Christopher Davis

Suspect Description

Police say Davis was 56 years old.

The Blue Alert issued for Davis said he was wearing a blue hoodie with a Nike logo on the front, blue jeans and blue sneakers at the time of the shooting.

Robert Lee Davis Criminal History

The backstory

Texas DPS and Harris County records show that Davis has a lengthy criminal history.

Davis’ past charges include burglary of a vehicle, evading arrest and multiple counts of aggravated robbery.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice records show Davis spent time in prison in Huntsville and was released in April 2019.

A warrant was issued for Davis in December for aggravated sexual assault.

What is a Blue Alert?

Dig deeper

Blue Alerts are similar to AMBER Alerts and are meant to help speed up the apprehension of violent criminals who have hurt or killed law enforcement.

In addition to phones, the alerts are also shared on TxDOT’s dynamic messaging signs.

In order to issue a Blue Alert the situation must fit four criteria, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety:

• A law enforcement officer must have been killed or seriously injured by an offender.

• The investigating law enforcement agency must determine that the offender poses a serious risk or threat to the public and other law enforcement personnel.

• A detailed description of the offender’s vehicle, vehicle tag, or partial tag must be available to send to the public.

• The investigating law enforcement agency of jurisdiction must recommend that the Blue Alert be activated.

Blue Alerts were created by an executive order from Texas Governor Rick Perry in 2008.

The Source

Information in this article comes from Texas DPS, Houston Police and the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office.