Teen driver surrenders in Fourth of July road rage shooting that ignited fireworks

A teen driver has surrendered to police for a Fourth of July road rage shooting that sent a family to a hospital when the fireworks in their car was ignited by his gunfire, authorities said.

Bayron Rivera, 18, will face four counts of aggravated assault after turning himself over to Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigators on Sunday evening, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet. Authorities were unable to elaborate on the circumstances leading up to the teen’s decision to surrender to authorities.

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The teen is alleged to have fired into a car with two young children, ages 1 and 2, who were severely burned when their family’s newly-purchased fireworks exploded. Their parents were also hospitalized.

The shooting stemmed from a fight at a Fiesta Mart grocery store at West Mt. Houston Road and Veterans Memorial Drive where the father exchanged words with a man in another vehicle. The motorists began following each other and the two pulled into a nearby gas station at Ella Road to continue the road rage spat.

Rivera allegedly grabbed a gun as the father returned to the vehicle and opened fire. The fireworks began spewing from the vehicle as the father pulled away from the gas station to escape, according to surveillance footage from the gas station. A pair of good Samaritans pulled the family from the burning car when they stopped on Texas 249 and rushed them to a nearby emergency room clinic.

The driver accused in the shooting could also be seen in the security video fleeing the gas station in a white Ford Explorer.

“We pray for a speedy recovery for those injured in the fire,” Gonzalez said Sunday night, adding that more information about the arrest would be available Monday morning.

At the time of the incident, the two children were airlifted to a hospital in critical condition.

nicole.hensley@chron.com

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