Here are things to know for Wednesday, Feb. 9:
1. 9-year-old girl shot in head during road rage incident involving street racers on Southwest Freeway, HPD says
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Authorities are investigating after a 9-year-old girl was shot in the head during an apparent road-rage shooting involving street racers on the Southwest Freeway Tuesday night, Houston Police Department said.
Houston police responded to reports of a shooting on the Southwest Freeway around 9:12 p.m.
According to officers, a family was driving around the 9800 block of Southwest Freeway while headed to the grocery store when two vehicles, one on each side of them, were racing. Police said one of the drivers shot into the family’s vehicle, which was carrying a man, woman, and their two children-- a 12-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl. The 9-year-old girl was shot in her head, investigators said. The suspect and other driver then fled the scene.
2. Family searching for answers after 18-year-old woman found dead under I-10 overpass Sunday
A family is searching for answers following the death of an 18-year-old woman.
“I don’t know what happened but I would like to know,” said Jose Zuniga. “I would like to find out what actually happened.”
Jose Zuniga said his daughter, Jesslyn Zuniga, was found dead on the service road near an East Freeway overpass on Sunday morning.
“It was terrible,” Jose Zuniga said. “We still don’t believe it’s true.”
Candles and flowers were left at a small memorial.
The family said Jesslyn was picked up earlier by a guy she recently met and they went out with some friends and family.
3. ‘He was my only son’: Father of innocent driver killed during police chase speaks out
Carl Wiley Senior said his family is devastated after his son was hit and killed by a suspect who was fleeing from police in west Houston.
Wiley Senior said his son, Carl Wiley Junior, was a good man and a father who did not deserve what happened to him.
“He was a real loved young man. He was a positive thinker, he loved his daughter, he loved his family, and I love him. I’m going to miss him. He’s my only son,” said Wiley Senior.
The father spoke to KPRC 2 during a memorial that was held for his son in the 2700 block of Wilcrest.
4. Debate over police chases heats up following deadly crash in west Houston
Monday’s deadly chase in west Houston is raising questions about police chases and how they are handled.
“As bad as the officers feel about something like this, it goes down to one person, and it’s that felon who fled in a motor vehicle and ended up taking somebody’s life,” said Ray Hunt, Executive Director for the Houston Police Officer’s Union.
Hunt said the death of 35-year-old Carl Wiley Jr. could have been avoided if 20-year-old Cameron Rogers had not taken off and led police on a chase.
“We don’t have 20/20 hindsight to say, ‘I know what the guy was fleeing for.’ We can’t judge that,” said Hunt. “So, your only options are to either have a reasonable chase policy, which we believe that we have, or have no chase policy, which is what some other cities have.”
5. Magnolia ISD parents outraged after middle school students airdropped ‘inappropriate’ content while on school bus
Nowadays, pretty much everyone, even middle school kids, has cell phones.
But now, there’s an uproar after a bus full of students were sent content that some adults wouldn’t consider safe.
“He said he saw nudity and other things,” said the father of an 11-year-old Magnolia ISD middle schooler.
Although the father did not want to be identified, he said he still wanted to speak out about inappropriate content he said his child and several other students were recently exposed to while riding the school bus.
“He doesn’t have a cell phone, but other students showed him on the bus certain very explicit photos that were being airdropped to kids,” the parent said. “It’s very upsetting. I mean, these kids shouldn’t be exposed to anything like that.”