A Texas police union blasted a judge’s decision to set bail for two men who allegedly killed an off-duty deputy while they were out on bond for previous murder cases.
Ahsim Taylor Jr. and Jayland Womack were arrested on Friday for the August 28 shooting death of Harris County Precinct 3 Deputy Omar Ursin. Ursin, who was off-duty, was shot and killed while picking up dinner for his family.
The two suspects were already out on bond for unrelated murder charges at the time of their arrests. Taylor Jr.’s previous murder charge involved a car sale gone wrong, while Womack’s murder charge stemmed from a drug sale.
Judge Denise Collins increased Taylor’s bond to $2 million for capital murder and $1 million for tampering with evidence on Monday. Womack’s bond increased to $2 million for capital murder.
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The Houston Police Officers’ Union criticized the judge’s decision to issue any bail to the suspected killers.
“This proves that risk assessment, in Harris County, isn’t a thing,” the police officers union wrote on Twitter.
“These two are a threat to public safety, whether or not they have the money to post bail,” the tweet continued. “They were both already on bond for pending murders they already committed. Now they kill again and are granted bail again?”
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“They violated their bail conditions. This is the third person that we know they have murdered,” the Houston Police Officers’ Union added. “Sickening. Absolutely foolish.”
Prosecutors are urging Judge Collins not to release the suspects, even if they post their bail. The next hearing regarding the case will take place on Friday at 10 a.m.
Investigators believe the shooting where Deputy Ursin was killed may have stemmed from road rage.
According to the Houston Police Officer’s Union, murders in Houston increased from 268 in 2017 to 479 in 2021.
