PEARLAND, Texas (KTRK) — A sergeant with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office has died after he was involved in an accident while driving his patrol motorcycle in Pearland.
Sergeant Bruce Watson, 51, was fatally injured on Saturday in what Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says was a tragic accident.
Sgt. Watson had been with the sheriff’s office for 20 years, and was headed home after serving as an escort at a funeral on Saturday.
Gonzalez said Watson was recently working in the watch command center for the department. The center was lit up in blue in his honor Saturday evening.
Our Emergency Dispatch Center is lit blue to honor Sgt. Bruce Watson, who most recently served there as a Watch Command supervisor. pic.twitter.com/ZIT3W3Iv79
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) January 3, 2021
Watson leaves behind his wife, who works for the Houston Police department, three children, a new grandchild, as well as his mother.
Gonzalez said he took time on Saturday to thank Watson’s mother for raising a respectable young man.
“I thanked his mother for raising such a God-fearing man,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez went on to ask the community to keep the family in their thoughts and prayers.
Preliminary info: an off-duty @HCSO Sgt had completed a funeral motorcycle-escort and was on his way home when he was involved in a collision in the Pearland area. #HouNews #lesm https://t.co/XjZBFoylpZ
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) January 2, 2021
Watson was transported by LifeFlight to Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center where he died of his injuries.
As of now, Pearland police say the exact cause of the crash hasn’t been determined. They have, however, determined the SUV driver who struck Watson was not intoxicated. The investigation is ongoing.