HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A teen who was already out on bond for another crime has been named as the suspect accused in a deadly road rage shooting that occurred in northwest Harris County last week.
Matthew Herndon, 17, has been charged with murder.
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On June 2, a Harris County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputy was in the 13700 block of Hollister around 11 a.m. when she was flagged down by a driver in a blue Honda Accord.
A bleeding passenger was found inside the vehicle.
RELATED: HCSO: Passenger shot, killed in possible road rage on Beltway 8 in NW Harris County
The driver told the deputy he was traveling on the North Sam Houston Toll Road, approaching the Veterans Memorial Toll Plaza, when another driver cut them off, then opened fire. A bullet struck his friend, Donnie Williams, in the torso.
Paramedics were called to assist, but Williams was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 30 years old.
Homicide investigators then began tracking down possible witnesses and one woman shared what she saw.
The witness told investigators that she was traveling westbound on the beltway, approaching the Antoine Drive exit, when she observed a charcoal gray Ford Crossover speeding and almost striking the blue Honda.
The witness said the Honda switched to the left lane and, for a moment, the two vehicles were driving side by side.
The witness then saw the driver of the Ford wave a gun in the air from his rolled-down window. As they all went through the toll booth, the woman heard several gunshots, according to documents.
The woman said she then observed the driver of the Ford pull over to the emergency shoulder on the left side and exit the vehicle. He appeared to be young, had an afro with twists and was wearing a gray shirt with shorts.
The witness was also able to provide a license plate number of the suspect’s vehicle.
Investigators pulled surveillance footage from the toll plaza that corroborated the witness’ story.
The license plate was traced back to Herndon’s mother, which further led to his positive identification.
This wasn’t Herndon’s first time committing a crime. Records show he is currently on bond for another aggressive incident.
In the previous case, on Dec. 24, 2021, a deputy with Constable Mark Herman’s Office responded to the 19800 block of Kenswick Drive in reference to a suspicious male checking for unlocked car doors.
Upon arrival, the deputy encountered Herndon, who ignored all verbal commands. When the deputy attempted to detain Herndon, he resisted.
After a brief struggle, Herndon was detained and found to be in possession of a loaded firearm, HCSO said.
Herndon was arrested and booked into the Harris County Jail, charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon and interfering with the duties of a public servant”.
On the day of the deadly shooting, HCSO’s E. Toquica said road rage is a growing problem across the country.
“It’s a shame and I think we can do better. Unfortunately, it seems to be a national trend, not just here in Houston or the Harris County areas,” Toquica said. “It can happen to any one of us or any one of our family members. We can’t afford to be aggressive drivers. You just can’t even honk at anybody anymore.”