Man arrested for murder of UAE military officer in Texas

Body of a devoted son is laid to rest in Ras Al Khaimah

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HOUSTON // Murder squad detectives have arrested a man for the murder of a young UAE military officer but warned last night that a second killer was still at large.

Detone Lewayne Price, 18, was captured late on Wednesday evening in a residential area about three kilometres east of where Capt Salem Saif al Mazroui was shot dead on Sunday.

Houston police said they were still hunting Corey Trevon Perry, 17, who is considered armed and dangerous.

Officers warned the public to stay away from Perry, who investigators believe was the one who fired the fatal shots.

Mr Al Mazroui's body was flown back to the UAE and his funeral took place yesterday in Ras Al Khaimah.

Police say Price was arrested without incident. He is being held without bail after an initial hearing on Wednesday night and will appear before a district court judge this morning.

Mr Al Mazroui, 28, had been visiting his father, who is receiving treatment for cancer at the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston.

The two had returned to their flat in a gated community on the south side of Houston after Sunday prayers at a mosque near the medical centre to pick up medicine for the elder Mr Mazroui.

They were supposed to go to a Ramadan gathering at a friend's house and had left their car idling outside the flat. At about 10.30pm, two assailants forced their way into the apartment at gunpoint in an apparent attempt to rob the victims.

After an altercation, Mr Al Mazroui was shot and killed. His father managed to escape. The attackers made off with the idling Toyota and a wallet.

Both the car and the wallet were later found near by. Fingerprints inside the car were used to identify Price and Perry, suggesting they have criminal records.

Police say it is not clear whether both the attackers were armed, but the elder Mr Mazroui identified Perry as the shooter from police mug shots, according to Jodi Silva, a Houston Police Department spokeswoman.

Both Perry and Price are being charged with capital murder. If found guilty, both will face life in prison with no chance of parole.

The State of Texas could also choose to press for the death penalty for Price, though not for Perry, who at 17 is considered under age. Texas is one of 36 states in the US with capital punishment.

Mr Mazroui leaves a wife and a two-month-old baby. His father flew home with his son's body for yesterday's burial.

Houston police are asking members of the public to call a hotline with any information about Perry's whereabouts.