Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has announced that state authorities are joining the manhunt for the person of interest in the ambush shooting of a Houston-area deputy overnight after officers responded to call from a Little Ceasar's restaurant worker who said they had been pistol whipped by an irate customer.

Authorities in and around Houston are on the hunt for Ronnie Palmer, 44, in connection with the line of duty death of Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Fernando Esqueda. He was last seen wearing a black jersey bearing the text "Bel-Air Academy" and wearing shorts with a towel over his shoulder.

Authorities are urging residents to use caution and be vigilant as the manhunt continues.

TEXAS MANHUNT UNDERWAY AFTER DETECTIVE IS FATALLY AMBUSHED, SHERIFF'S OFFICE SAYS

The deputy was 28 years old and a five-year veteran of the force, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote on X, adding that he was personally in the field as part of the manhunt.

Palmer is considered a person of interest in the shooting and is also wanted for an aggravated assault at a Little Ceasar's pizzeria on Wallisville Road in East Harris County.

An enraged customer at the pizza place allegedly pistol whipped a worker and fled. As authorities searched for the suspect in that case, Esqueda was ambushed while on the phone with another detective, authorities said Thursday.

Backup arrived found and Esqueda's vehicle riddled with bullet holes on the 13200 block of Italian Cypress Trail around 1 a.m. Thursday.

He had been shot multiple times.

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Esqueda was a member of "a very elite task force," Chief Deputy Mike Lee told reporters.

"This group, every day, goes out and hunts down child rapists, homicide suspects, some of the most egregious criminals out there and that's what they do every day for a living," Lee said. "And he was very good at his job. Very well thought of."

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Fellow deputies rushed him to the hospital in a patrol vehicle in critical condition. He succumbed to his injuries.

Abbott vowed the state's full support to local police as they seek the gunman.

"Whenever our law enforcement officers put on the badge, they are selflessly risking their lives," he said in a statement. "Violence against law enforcement officers will never be tolerated in Texas."

He said state troopers and special agents were assisting in the manhunt.

"Please join Cecilia and me in prayer for Deputy Esqueda’s family, loved ones, and the entire Harris County community," he added.

Authorities are asking anyone with information on Palmer's whereabouts to contact Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). There is a $5,000 reward for information in the case.

"None of us are ever prepared for such an untimely death and our members need your prayers and support," Gonzalez said. "Our thoughts are with his family as they come to terms with this horrible news."

He vowed to bring the killer to justice.

Fox News' Elizabeth Pritchett and Greg Norman contributed to this report.

The world’s population is expected to grow by more than 2 billion people in the next decades and peak in the 2080s at around 10.3 billion, a new report by the United Nations said Thursday.

The report — released on World Population Day — says the global population is then expected to decline to around 10.2 billion by the end of the century.

According to the World Population Prospects 2024 report, the earlier-than-anticipated population peak is due to several factors, including lower fertility levels in some of the world’s largest countries, especially China, whose population is projected to drop dramatically from 1.4 billion in 2024 to 633 million in 2100.

CALIFORNIA'S POPULATION EXPECTED TO DECLINE AS FLORIDA AND THE CAROLINAS' SOAR IN 2024: SURVEY

Globally, women are having an average of one fewer child than they did in 1990, the report said, and in more than half of all countries and territories, the average number of live births per woman is below 2.1. That’s the level needed for a country’s population to maintain its size without migration.

Nearly 20% of the world — including China, Italy, South Korea and Spain — have "ultra-low" fertility, with women having fewer than 1.4 live births, said the report by the U.N. Population Division.

"The earlier and lower peak is a hopeful sign," U.N. Undersecretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua said. "This could mean reduced environmental pressures from human impacts due to lower aggregate consumption."

Li stressed, however, that even with slower population growth, people will still need to individually reduce the impact of their activities to preserve the environment.

According to the report, in 2024 population has already peaked in 63 countries and territories, including China, Germany, Japan and Russia. In this group, the total population is projected to decline by 14% over then next 30 years.

In another 48 countries and territories — including Brazil, Iran, Turkey and Vietnam — the population is projected to peak between 2025 and 2054, the report said.

For the remaining 126 countries and territories, including the United States, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan, the population is expected to increase through 2054, "and, potentially, to peak in the second half of the century or later."

For nine of those countries — including Angola, Central African Republic, Congo, Nigeria and Somalia — the U.N. is projecting very rapid growth, with their populations doubling between 2024 and 2054.

The world’s population has grown dramatically in the last 75 years, from an estimated 2.6 billion in 1950 to 8 billion in November 2022. Since then, it has increased by roughly 2.5% to 8.2 billion.

Kathleen Mogelgaard, president and CEO of the Washington-based Population Institute, said Thursday’s new estimates underscore "an increasing demographic divide around the world."

While it identified more than 100 countries and territories whose populations have already peaked or will do so in the next 30 years, she said, it shows even more where population will keep growing, many of them among the world’s poorest nations.