Teen shot in head while heading home from Astros game is still alive, HPD says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — As a search for the man who pulled the trigger in a road rage shooting continues, Houston police now say the 17-year-old he hit is still alive.

On Wednesday morning, police tweeted that the teen, who was shot in the head while heading home from an Astros game, died from his injury.

HPD has since corrected their initial release on the teen’s condition, saying he is currently on life support.

“Please join us in praying for this young man and his family,” the department tweeted while also offering a sincere apology to the family.

Tuesday night at about 11 p.m., officers said a father and his two sons were leaving the Astros game when they encountered a man in a white sedan on Chartres.

Something happened between the father and the driver of the car, according to police, and the two exchanged hand gestures.

The suspect followed the family onto the East Freeway for almost five miles to the 600 block of McCarty before shooting several times into their back window.A 17-year-old inside the family’s truck was struck in the head.

The father drove to McGowen and 59 and called 911 for help. The teen was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition.

Wednesday morning, a photo of what investigators believe to be the suspect’s vehicle was released. They have described it only as a white, 4-door Buick sedan with a sunroof driven by a Black male.

“It is my hope before the day is out at the very minimum that we will have the name of the owner or driver of this vehicle and we will have that person at the end of the day in custody,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

Authorities have not identified the victim in the case.

“It’s really unfortunate. It’s really sad, and we’re really hoping to figure out how this happened and who did it,” an HPD investigator said.

The father and his other son were not hurt in the shooting.

This shooting is part of a growing problem in the city of Houston. In December 2020, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office joined with the District Attorney’s Office, the Houston police department, and the department of public safety to implement a new task force that proactively goes after violent, aggressive drivers.

It also made penalties tougher for violations.

“We’re joined here today as partners to make sure, collectively, we call upon our community to stop aggressive driving and respect each other on the roadways,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at the time.

There were eight road rage incidents that led to fatal shootings in the city of Houston in 2020 compared to five in 2019.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact HPD Major Assaults of Crime Stoppers at (713)-222-TIPS.