HOUSTON — A mother was killed after someone opened fire on her car with her toddler in the back seat in northwest Houston early Thursday, according to the Houston Police Department.
A man in the passenger seat was also shot multiple times and was taken to the hospital in critical condition, police said, He remains in surgery.
The woman's 3-year-old child in the car's back seat was not injured. Police said that the 3-year-old boy is physically OK and is now with his grandmother.
This happened just before 3 a.m. near the intersection of West Gulf Bank and West Montgomery Road in the Acres Homes area.
Witnesses told police they saw two cars speeding down the road and then one allegedly started shooting.
“They saw two vehicles traveling together very fast,” HPD Assistant Chief Jessica Anderson said. “Reportees also indicated there were shots fired from one of the vehicles.”
When police got to the scene on West Gulf Bank, they found a crashed maroon car. Investigators said a woman was dead in the driver’s seat and a man was shot multiple times in the passenger seat.
Police said it looked like all the shots were fired through the passenger door. A toddler was also found in the backseat of the car.
“Thankfully officers were able to get him to his grandmother and to the care of family, so he’s being taken care of,” Anderson said. “HFD came out very quickly to check him. No apparent injuries. I can imagine this is a very traumatic event for him.”
The grandmother of the toddler rushed to the scene in tears. Obviously, she was heartbroken to learn her daughter had been killed.
Police said a white car matching the description of the suspect vehicle was found a few blocks away. Two people have been detained.
They aren’t being called suspects at this time, but they are being questioned. At this point, we don’t know why someone opened fire at this vehicle.