Darren Goforth's wife praises 'ethical' and 'fiercely loyal' husband

Home Top

Taylor's Girl Squad go ultra-glam: Swift is joined on the MTV VMA's red carpet by her Bad Blood best friends including Karlie and Gigi
Family pays tribute to grandfather, 60, killed when he fell 50ft from the top deck of Turner Field after standing to 'boo A-Rod at the Braves-Yankees game'
Grieving parents of journalist Steven Sotloff speak of their pain since his ISIS beheading and their anger at the Obama administration
Mom-of-two 'killed her baby and lived with the little girl's lifeless body in her apartment for three months'
$TIM STEWART NEWS LIMITED: Alison Parker, 24, news reporter for Virginia news station WDBJ7, who was shot dead with cameraman Adam Ward, 27, by a gunman during a live TV broadcast.\n\n\n***Pix supplied as a technical service by Tim Stewart News Limited. No copyright inferred or implied***$ 'It was their mission to awaken us to the good and fun in life': Memorial held for journalists killed by TV gunman
America sinks into the sea: New building work - including graves - is banned on vanishing Alaska island as residents are told it's not a case of IF their homes will disappear but WHEN
Teen accused of drowning pregnant girlfriend's nephew to make room for the new baby to live at their house
Tragedy as two twin boys, 2, drown in bathtub of Arizona family home
Outrage as mom-of-four is charged for accidentally leaving her baby in a cart at the store and driving home without him - as she tearfully insists she is a good mom and it was a 'horrible mistake'
'He just took them by surprise': 19-year-old arrested after he allegedly killed three family members and injured a child in Tennessee shooting spree
Lurid affairs with clients and brash fights with stars and royals alike: Inside the wild life of Hollywood's 'first superagent' - the woman who made Streisand, Newman and Ryan O'Neal
The night Jack Nicholson 'offered Princess Margaret cocaine': New book claims Queen's sister declined drugs and danced with John Travlota instead
Touching scenes as hundreds of officials and relatives gather to pay tribute to three firefighters killed in Washington state wildfires
'My husband and best friend': Devastated wife of slain deputy pays tribute to 'fiercely loyal' partner as career criminal is charged and sheriff blames Black Lives Matter for spreading hatred of cops
Shocking moment 63-year-old is gored in the heart by a bull as he becomes 12th person to die in Spanish festivals this year
Would you drink water with added fat? Believe it or not it's the latest health craze. Alice Smellie tries the tongue-coating drink
'If you don't want to entice a rapist, don't wear high heels': Chrissie Hynde under fire for shocking sex attack rant, as she reveals she was gang-raped by a group of bikers
The TRUTH behind health food fads: The popular healthy eating myths debunked and what you SHOULD be doing to lose weight
Don't giggle, but laughing is the new trendy therapy! Marianne Power lightens up to find out whether it really is the best medicine
'Try the bag or hanging...it's now or never': Full text messages reveal how honor student 'encouraged' boyfriend to kill himself and then coolly contacted his family to ask if they knew where he was
Amazing video shows donor organ beating OUTSIDE the body as pioneering 'Heart In a Box' technology allows life-saving transplant for young father
John Daly released from hospital after suffering suspected collapsed lung
From dust until dawn! Burning Man's wild party-goers forced to cover up as huge dust storms threaten to overshadow the festival
This one may not catch on: Teens in Taiwan start social media trend with selfies wearing nothing but plastic shopping bags

Kathleen Goforth spoke out about her husband Darren Goforth
Goforth was shot Friday - allegedly by career criminal Shannon Miles, 30
Mrs Goforth praised husband, said he had strong sense of right and wrong
Miles has been charged with capital murder over the killing Friday night
Allegedly crept up on Goforth in unprovoked attack and started shooting
Mourners set up a makeshift memorial for Goforth at the Chevron station

By Kieran Corcoran and Wills Robinson For Dailymail.com

Published: 08:44 EST, 30 August 2015 | Updated: 14:22 EST, 30 August 2015

View
comments

The wife of a sheriff's deputy gunned down from behind at a Houston gas station has praised her slain husband as an 'ethical', 'good' and 'fiercely loyal' man.

Kathleen Goforth spoke after 47-year-old Darren Goforth, of the Harris County Sheriff's Office, was shot dead in a 'cold-blooded execution' as he filled up his patrol car Friday evening.

His wife's tribute, given in a statement by a family friend, came as the department charged a 30-year-old career criminal over his death.

Scroll down for video

Grief: Kathleen Goforth, right, spoke out after her husband, deputy Darren Goforth, left, was shot dead at a Houston gas station

Killed: Goforth, 47, was gunned down from behind as he filled his patrol car with gas Friday night. Shannon J Miles (right) was arrested and is now facing capital murder charges

Family: Goforth, pictured above with Kathleen in 2010, leaves behind two children

Shannon J. Miles, whose lengthy criminal history includes firearms offenses, has been jailed and charged with capital murder.

Mrs Goforth's statement, reported by NBC News, said: 'There are no words for this. My husband was an incredibly intricate blend of toughness and gentility.

'He was always loyal, fiercely so. He was ethical. The right thing to do is what guided his internal compass.'

'He was good. If people want to know what kind of man he was, this is it: He was who you wanted for a friend, a colleague and a neighbor.

'However, it was I who was blessed so richly, that I had the privilege of calling him my husband and my best friend.'

No motive has yet been suggested for the attack - which the sheriff's office suggested was an unprovoked act of violence.

However, Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman put some of the blame for his deputy's death on the Black Lives Matter protest movement, which he said has turned public sentiment against law enforcement with its 'out of control' rhetoric.

Shot from behind: Goforth, right, was killed at a Chevron station on the outskirts of Houston. He had two children, aged five and 12

Memorial: Mourners gathered Saturday by the petrol pump where Goforth was shot dead, covering it with balloons and flower tributes

Respects: A little girl puts a coin in a donation box at the memorial which sprung up at the Chevron station in suburban Houston

Charged: Miles is walked out of the Harris County Sheriff's Department in Houston following his arrest

"Capital murder': Miles, 30, has a long criminal history, including firearms offences. He is being held in Harris County Jail

In a press conference Saturday afternoon, Hickman said that the group had 'ramped up' public sentiment against officers like Goforth, helping create the conditions for the attack.

He said: 'Our system of justice absolutely requires law enforcement to be present to protect our community.

'So at any point where the rhetoric ramps up to the point where the calculated, cold-blooded assassination of police officers happens, this rhetoric has gotten out of control.

'We've heard black lives matter, all lives matter - well, cops' lives matter too. Why don't we just drop the qualifier and say "lives matter".'

A resume posted online suggests Miles attended Prairie View A&M University, the school where Sandra Bland was arrested following a traffic stop and alleged assault on a police officer in July.

Three days later she killed herself in her cell and the Black Lives Matter movement made her an integral figure in their movement.

'Out of control rhetoric': Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman pointed the finger at the Black Lives Matter movement at a press conference Saturday

Miles has also held a number of jobs, including a stint as a kitchen cook at Burger King and a host at Whataburger.

Local station KTRK reported that Miles was taken into custody around 2:30am after the department was tipped off to a car similar to the killer's.

Deputies responded to the red pickup truck, a Ford Ranger, and questioned the man, but could not say whether the car was the same one seen in surveillance footage of the attack.

Miles' mother told the station that he had nothing to do with the killing.

She said: 'My son is innocent. I was in the house with him, so when that happened, my son was home'.

According to the sheriff's department, Goforth had stopped to fill up his cruiser after responding to a routine car accident, which is not believed to have any connection to his death.

Security footage, which has not been made public, captured the killing at a Chevron gas station around 8:30pm.

According to the sheriff's office, Miles walked up behind Goforth without saying anything and fired several shots at him from behind at point-blank ranged.

He allegedly kept shooting into his body after he had fallen to the ground, then drove off.

Stills from the security footage released by the department show a black man wearing shorts and a t-shirt at the station, and a Ford Ranger pickup truck leaving the area.

Suspect: Law enforcement released surveillance footage from the gas station. Shannon J Miles has now been arrested and charged with the murder of the deputy

Getaway: Station security footage recorded this red Ford Ranger with an extended cab leaving the area

Scene: Goforth was killed at a Chevron gas station on Telge and West Road in suburban Houston

Goforth, who was assigned to the west district patrol of Harris County, leaves behind two children, aged five and twelve, as well as his wife.

A relative speaking to KTRK said that Goforth was a 'rock' of their family and that police work was 'his calling'.

Stephen Allison, Goforth's brother-in-law, said: 'It was his calling ... he wanted to spend his whole life in it once he got in it. ... He was kind of born for it.'

In his private life, Allison said Goforth was 'a good dad' 'a giving individual' and a 'rock' of the family.

A vigil for Goforth was held Saturday evening, while the gas pump at which he was shot dead was turned into a makeshift memorial covered with flowers and balloons.

Law enforcement and other emergency personnel, as well as members of the public, left tributes and messages at the site, while some also left donations.

The 100 Club, a Texas organization which supports families of emergency workers killed in the line of duty, said it would give the family $20,000 in immediate support, and more they continue to deal with the deputy's death.