Sheriff Lowell Griffin said a homeowner had noticed someone breaking into a car around 3 a.m. Thursday.
Griffin said the homeowner yelled at the man, who then shattered a window at the home with a crowbar. Griffin said the man and the homeowner exchanged gunfire after the suspect took a gun from the vehicle and before deputies arrived.
Griffin said the suspect appeared to comply with commands to show deputies his hands before firing once and shooting Hendrix in the face. The sheriff said two other deputies returned fire and that the suspect, identified as Robert Ray Doss Jr., died at the scene.
Hendrix was rushed to Mission Hospital where he later died. He had been with the sheriff’s office since 2012.
Hendrix was a Marine veteran who has two children, a 6-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl. He was engaged to be married next month.
“We are all a family. This, this office, this Sheriff’s Office, the people here, they are, they’re one big family. So, this is a family member that has been critically injured. And, we’re all hurting right now,” said Sheriff Lowell Griffin. “Ryan has been here since 2012, so he’s an 8-year veteran of the department, of the office. And, he has done an outstanding job in every aspect that he served in.”