5-year-old girl shot dead in car, man charged with capital murder: Sheriff
A man has been charged with capital murder after a 5-year-old girl was shot and killed in a car in Houston, authorities said.
Monica Hicks was driving with her five children on Saturday night when a gunman fired bullets at her car, hitting and killing her 5-year-old daughter, Zah'Layah Walter, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
Other children in the car were struck by glass and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff's office said.
Jeremy Porter, 47, has been taken into custody and charged with capital murder, the sheriff said.
The sheriff's office said the motive remains under investigation.
Hicks told ABC Houston station KTRK that she was not involved in a road rage incident, noting that she did not cut off any cars or communicate with other drivers.
"Our hearts remain with Zah'Layah's family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time," Gonzalez said in a statement.
The sheriff highlighted that Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology "played an important role" in the case by helping "detectives quickly develop critical information." This comes as the use of the controversial ALPR camera systems have come under fire across the U.S.
"Technology cannot replace good police work, but tools like license plate readers can give investigators valuable information when every minute matters," the sheriff said in a statement.
Porter has a preliminary assigned court appearance scheduled for Tuesday.
