Sandy MaloneHouston, TX – Two little boys drove their family’s SUV off the freeway on Friday night after their father was fatally shot while driving down the interstate.
The incident occurred at about 10:40 p.m. on Aug. 20 as the 29-year-old man drove along Interstate 10 – the East Freeway – a few blocks from the Holland Street exit, WTIC reported.
Houston police said the father was driving a Toyota Sequoia when the boys – ages six and eight – heard what sounded like a rock hitting the SUV’s windshield.
It turned out the sound was a bullet, and their father was struck, WTIC reported.
Officials said the little boys were able to take control of the SUV and guide it off the freeway.
They pulled into the parking lot of a strip mall on Holland Street, according to WTIC.
Houston police said a woman who was coming out of a restaurant nearby saw them and called police.
A San Jacinto police officer working an off-duty detail was the first to respond to the scene, WTIC reported.
Officials said that the boys’ father died from his gunshot wound.
Investigators have said they do not yet know whether the incident was related to road rage or if it was completely random, WTIC reported.
Police said they have no details at all about the suspect vehicle or the gunman.
The Houston mayor announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of suspects involved in the deadly shooting of the 29-year-old father, KPRC reported.
What happened in our city Saturday was tragic.
The rewards for the arrest of persons who shot and killed an off-duty @NOPDNews officer and critically injured his friend in the 4700 block of Westheimer and a young father on I-10 near Federal have both been increased to $10K. st
— Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) August 22, 2021
The Houston Police Department’s Homicide Division is leading the investigation into the fatal shooting, KPRC reported.
Holly Matkin
