HOUSTON – A man was shot and killed in what Houston police officers believe was a road rage shooting incident in northeast Houston Tuesday evening.
The shooting happened on the Sam Houston Parkway and Old Humble Road near the Mesa exit.
Houston police say they received reports of gunfire between two cars at around 9 p.m.
Police said that the vehicles were headed eastbound on Beltway 8 when the two drivers began shooting at each other.
“We found a vehicle there (with) an adult male in it. He is deceased here at the scene. We did have two Good Samaritans stop and tried to give the victim CPR. Unfortunately, that was unsuccessful,” said Lt. Larry Crowson with the Houston Police Department.
Houston police said they are unsure if the shooting was a road rage incident or a targeted shooting. Investigators are working to find surveillance video to help identify the suspect or the vehicle involved.
KPRC 2 reporter Re’Chelle Turner sat down with retired Houston Police Captain and Sam Houston State professor Greg Fremin to discuss road safety. Here is what he had to say:
Q. How can drivers be safe on the roadways?
“Re’Chelle, that’s the $1 million question and one thing that we always advocate from a law-enforcement standpoint is to show great restraint when these things happen because, let me just remind our viewers, our nation averages between 44 to 50 shooting roadway shootings a month and includes death and shooting injuries so and within that number. Texas leads the United States and when you look at the state of Texas, Houston leads the states, so you can literally say that Houston, Texas is the epicenter of road rage violence in the United States. We advocate from an educational standpoint, do not engage other drivers when somebody cut you off, don’t initiate don’t do any type of gesture don’t blow your horn back off and let them have space because,” Fremin said.
Q. Is it helpful to have some type of camera in your car that’s facing the road?
“Oh absolutely. Any type of visual audio recording aide that could help witness and give ID to a potential shooter or suspect will be very helpful,” Fremin said.
Q. Talk about how police are going to investigate this case moving forward.
A. “It’s probably one of the most difficult cases for law enforcement to have for any agency. Number one is it could be a random or could been a targeted hit on his drive. We just don’t know yet and it happens so instantaneously that there we’re going to be literally no witnesses to this. You might’ve had someone that saw a vehicle other than that no suspect description may be a vehicle description of tens of thousands of vehicles that are driving out there,” Fremin said.
Turner is still waiting to hear back from the medical examiner’s office for the victim’s identity.
Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.