Suspect Kills 2 After Opening Fire in Houston Rush-Hour Traffic, Still on the Loose
Police are looking for a gunman who they say opened fire and killed two men following a car crash on a Houston interstate Thursday evening.
“HPD investigators are on the scene of a fatal shooting that occurred at 5:55 pm at IH10 East Freeway at Federal Road where 2 people have been shot and are deceased,” Houston Police tweeted.
HPD investigators are on the scene of a fatal shooting that occurred at 5:55 pm at IH10 East Freeway at Federal Road where 2 people have been shot and are deceased. The freeway will be closed for investigation. Avoid the area and use alternate routes. A PIO is en route. #hounews
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) August 8, 2019
Police say the suspect’s car, which had two people in it, hit a Nissan and forced it off the road, according to USA Today.
Then, the gunman, who was reportedly armed with an AR-15-type rifle, got out of his own car, opened fire and then made his way to the front of the Nissan and started firing at the windshield.
“Unreal scene just witnessed on I-10 in Houston, east bound lanes at Holland, just outside the east loop,” KHOU-TV’s Daniel Gotera tweeted. “A guy gets out of his car with gun just shooting in the middle of freeway. Unbelievable.”
Unreal scene just witnessed on I-10 in Houston, east bound lanes at Holland, just outside the east loop…a guy gets out of his car with gun just shooting in the middle of freeway. Unbelievable.
— Daniel Gotera (@DTGoteraKHOU) August 8, 2019
A witness to the incident who was not involved in the initial crash may have caused the gunman to flee, Houston Police Assistant Chief Bobby Dobbins said at a news conference, according to NBC News.
The witness “saw the suspect turn toward him; he thought he was going to be fired at. He had no idea what was going on,” Dobbins said. “He fired several rounds at the suspect. He doesn’t know if he hit the suspect. But it did cause the suspect to run.”
The gunman and the person in the car with him, who is also considered a suspect, then drove away.
Police were not initially aware of the suspect’s motive, though they did find narcotics in the victims’ car.
“Road rage? An accident? Narcotics? We don’t know yet,” Robbins told reporters, as ABC News reported.
“A major accident makes you mad on the way home, but seeing something like this to a normal citizen … witnesses are very disturbed,” he said, according to USA Today.
The victims had yet to be identified, though police said they were 25 and 33 years old.
UPDATE: The shooter is described only as a Hispanic male in his 20s, about 5’7″. He was wearing a red shirt and fled the scene in a newer model, dark colored 4-door sedan. Information on the incident is at –>https://t.co/isfebKsiE2 #hounews
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) August 9, 2019
“The shooter is described only as a Hispanic male in his 20s, about 5’7″. He was wearing a red shirt and fled the scene in a newer model, dark colored 4-door sedan,” police tweeted.
Officials are offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and charges in the case.
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