Joseph Adolph Zamarron

Houston Police Department — Houston, TX

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch April 18, 1981

Age 28

Tour of Duty 4 yrs 8 mo

Badge 3025

The Vigil Panel 124 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 116

Incident

Police Officer Jose Zamarron was struck by a drunk driver and killed while investigating a minor accident. Officer Zamarron and his partner were talking to two off-duty officers working a uniform off-duty assignment at 12774 Market Street when they witnessed a two-vehicle accident. While the officers were assessing the damage to the vehicles Officer Zamarron was struck by a drunk driving at a high rate of speed. The driver then proceeded to strike several more vehicles before coming to a stop. Officer Zamarron was rushed to Northshore Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The driver of the vehicle was charged with involuntary manslaughter, possession of a controlled substance, and carrying a weapon after several guns and drugs were found in their vehicle at the time of their arrest. The suspect made a bond but the bond was forfeited after failing to show up to court on February 23, 1982, to answer for the involuntary manslaughter charge. The suspect was arrested by Houston Police on March 30, 1982, when officers responded to a trailer after neighbors called for the front door to be open. The suspect was convicted after trial and sentenced to three years in prison for striking and killing Officer Zamarron and was released in 1985 after serving their time. Officer Zamarron was a U.S Army veteran of the Vietnam war and had served with the Houston Police Department for less than five years,

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Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-A1A0D1C0
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Joseph is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Zamarron gave the Houston Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Houston community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Houston Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Houston, Harris County, TX

Platform Identity hpd.harris.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 18, 1981

Tour of Duty 4 yrs 8 mo

Age 28

Badge Number 3025

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Automobile

Military Service

Joseph Adolph Zamarron served in the U.S. Army before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer Joseph Adolph Zamarron is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,460 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Houston Police Department, 84 of 117 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 71.8% of this agency's fallen.

Houston Police Department

of 117 officers

71.8% Felonious

TX — Statewide

1,460

of 2,421 officers

60.3% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious