9-year-old girl shot in head in road rage incident in Katy area, sheriff says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A 9-year-old girl was shot in the head in what Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez described as a drive-by shooting linked to road rage.

Deputies responded to the 19900 block of Masters Manor Lane in the Katy area on Friday around 4:40 p.m. A witness told them a man, with his wife and two children in the car, stopped, got out and yelled for help. Moments later, another car pulled up.

“[They] pulled up very fast, really quickly next to the father. Someone in that vehicle extended a gun outside a window and fired multiple shots into the family’s vehicle,” said Jason Spencer, a spokesperson for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. “We have a young girl who is fighting for her life right now.”

The girl was flown to the medical center with a gunshot wound to her head. She was in surgery Friday night. No one else was hurt.

Detectives said the violence was preceded by a road rage incident on the Katy Freeway. Both vehicles exited and at one point the suspect got out and approached the family’s car. The father tried to get away.

The shooter was in a dark-colored vehicle. Investigators are asking residents to check security cameras to see if they captured the car. Anyone with information is urged to call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at 713-221-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.