2-year-old found dead inside vehicle that was
stolen from shooting victim in SW Houston, HPD says
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 2-year-old boy
was found dead inside a vehicle that was stolen after a
man was shot to death during an argument Tuesday
afternoon.
Officers responded to a shooting call
in the 5500 block of El Camino Del Rey in southwest
Houston at about 1:45 p.m. Police said there was an
apparent disturbance between two Black men, which led to
an argument.
During the argument, the suspect
pulled out a gun and shot the 38-year-old victim
multiple times in the chest. The victim was pronounced
dead at the scene, police said.
The suspect took
off in the victim's SUV, which was described as a black
Chevy Traverse or Equinox with a paper license plate.
A woman was at a nearby gas station when she heard
the shots being fired. She said she saw the victim fall
to his death.
"He was tumbling and agonizing,"
she said.
"My advice to the suspect (who)
discharged the firearm is to go ahead and turn yourself
in," Commander Adrian Rodriguez with the South Gessner
HPD Division.
Hours after the shooting at 6:36
p.m., police said they received a missing persons report
from a woman who said her husband and her 2-year-old
child were missing.
She gave a description that
matched the SUV that police were searching for in
connection to the fatal shooting, according to police.
"We realized very quickly that (the victim from the
original scene) was her husband," HPD Executive Chief
Larry Satterwhite said. "We never knew about the child
until she called at 6:36 p.m."
About 30 minutes
later, investigators found the stolen vehicle in the
5900 block of Elm Street with a 2-year-old locked
inside, according to police.
Officers broke off
the glass on the SUV and immediately attempted to render
aid, but the child was pronounced dead by the time an
ambulance arrived, Satterwhite said.
Investigators believe the child died from heat
exhaustion as he may have been in the car since about 2
p.m. An autopsy will confirm the cause of death.
Police describe the suspect as a Black man with a slim
build and hair on his chin. He was last seen wearing a
white T-shirt and black shorts with a "very distinctive"
black Raiders hat.
"A mother lost her husband,
and she lost her 2-year-old child (Tuesday),"
Satterwhite said. "We are asking for your help."
It's unclear if the suspect and the shooting victim knew
each other.