A quiet Sunday night in north Harris County ended in violence after a teen was found shot to death in an SUV that had rolled into a ditch on the 800 block of Salter Drive. Deputies say the vehicle was still running when they arrived, with the victim slumped behind the wheel. The Harris County Sheriff's Office has opened a homicide investigation and is urging anyone with information to speak up.
Scene and discovery
Deputies were called to the area around 10:30 p.m. and found the SUV in a roadside ditch, according to Click2Houston. Inside, they discovered a male victim with multiple gunshot wounds. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene. Investigators sealed off the stretch of Salter Drive while they documented the scene and collected evidence.
What the sheriff's office says
The victim appeared to be in his late teens, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, as reported by ABC13. A preliminary investigation indicates the teen and a suspected shooter had arranged to meet in a nearby parking lot. Detectives say some kind of confrontation unfolded, the suspect opened fire while the victim was inside the SUV, then took off. Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact the HCSO Homicide Unit at (713) 274-9100 or Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS (8477), according to the sheriff's office.
Investigators seeking video and witnesses
Detectives are pulling surveillance video from nearby businesses and homes and interviewing potential witnesses in an effort to reconstruct the teen's final moments, Click2Houston reports. So far, authorities have not identified a suspect or released a possible motive.
The sheriff's office says the victim's identity will be made public once next of kin are notified. The case remains an active homicide investigation, and officials say they plan to update the community as new details emerge.
