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Nassau Bay PD Sgt. Kaila Sullivan killed: Verdict read in Tavores Henderson trial
The jury found Tavores Henderson guilty of aggravated assault on a public servant. He was charged in connection to the death of Nassau Bay Police Sgt. Kaila Sullivan in 2019.
HOUSTON - The man charged in the death of Nassau Bay Police Sgt. Kaila Sullivan was found guilty of aggravated assault on a public servant on Thursday.
Tavores Henderson had been on trial for a capital murder charge, but the jury found him guilty on the aggravated assault on a public servant charge instead.
It only took the jury a few hours of deliberation to return the verdict for Henderson following closing arguments on Thursday.
The trial began on Aug. 28.
Nassau Bay police sergeant killed in 2019
The backstory:
Sgt. Kaila Sullivan, a 15-year veteran of the department, was assisting with a traffic stop in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 2000 block of San Sebastian Court in December 2019.
SUGGESTED: Man accused of killing Nassau Bay police sergeant captured
Initially, another Nassau Bay police officer initiated the stop on Henderson for speeding, according to court records. The officer learned Henderson was wanted out of Harris County for assault of a family member and requested back up, which led to Sgt. Sullivan arriving on the scene.
Nassau Bay Police Department Sgt. Kaila Sullivan was killed during a traffic stop on December 10, 2019. (Nassau Bay Police Department)
During the arrest, police claim Henderson broke away from the officer trying to handcuff him, got back into his vehicle, drove away, and at some point struck Sgt. Sullivan with the vehicle. Court records state the vehicle dragged Sullivan's body.
Sgt. Sullivan was rushed to the hospital, where she passed away.
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The suspect’s vehicle was found a short distance from the traffic stop, officials say.
On Dec. 12, 2019, authorities received a tip Henderson would be at a home in the 4200 block of Heritage Trail Drive. Henderson was taken into custody without incident.
Memorial monument dedicated to Sgt. Kaila Sullivan killed in line of duty
While trying to arrest a suspect back in 2019, a struggle ensued and he managed to get back into his car and drove off, where he hit Sgt. Kaila Sullivan and kept on driving.
Henderson was charged with capital murder of a police officer and his bond was set to $999,999.
Nassau Bay community remembering Sgt. Sullivan
Local perspective:
At the time of the hit-and-run, Sgt. Sullivan was the first Nassau Bay officer ever killed in the line of duty. An officer had never even been injured before.
Sgt. Sullivan’s 16th anniversary with Nassau Bay would have been two days after Christmas that year.
"Well it’s the worst thing to happen in Nassau Bay’s history. We’re a town incorporated 50 years ago next year and even though we’ve had a couple of hurricanes, nothing rises to this. You can rebuild from a hurricane. You can’t replace a life, especially someone as precious as Sgt. Sullivan," former Mayor Denman previously stated.
Nearly three years after she was killed, a memorial monument was established in honor of her memory.
The Source: Information gathered from previous FOX 26 articles and Harris County court documents.