The mother of a little girl shot to death close to Houston Walmart store revealed additional details about the incident on Monday, while lying in a hospital bed recovering from a gunshot wound.
ABC reports that 30-year-old LaPorsha Washington said she was headed to Joe V’s on Sunday morning to pick up coffee, along with her four daughters, ranging in ages from six to 16, when someone started shooting at them. They passed the Walmart off of the 15400 block of Wallisville when the suspect, described as a white male in his 40s with a beard, opened fire at the car.
“As I turned around and looked back at the street, I heard shots start firing and they came through my window, broke my glass, and hit me in my arm. They sped off in front of us and the truck slowed down and continued to fire as he was in front of us. It was not fair. It was not fair. He intentionally killed my child for no reason. He didn’t even know her, he didn’t know who she was.”
Washington immediately began driving toward the hospital when one of her children told her that her 7-year-old, Jazmine Barnes, wasn’t moving.
“She said, ‘Momma, Jazmine’s not moving. She’s not talking.’ I turned around and my 7-year-old was shot in the head.”
Washington, who was shot in the arm during the incident, pulled over and called 911. Her 6-year-old was also injured but is expected to be OK.
Jazmine’s father, Christopher Cevilla, wasn’t there when his little girl got shot, but he’s pleading for anyone with any information to come forward, according to CNN.
“I just want anybody, whoever, out there that knows anything about the murder of my daughter, to just please step up as if it was your own,” Cevilla told reporters on Monday. “Just put yourself in my shoes, in my family’s shoes.”
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said he felt the attack was unprovoked and there’s nothing that shows the family did anything to prompt the shooting.
“It’s our belief that it was totally unprovoked, whatever it was, and we’re leaving no stone unturned. We’re going to leave every motive out there as a possibility. There was nothing to indicate that the family did anything wrong in any way. They were simply just driving along the service road when this happened to them.”
Please Share: Have you seen this truck? Deputies say it’s a red four-door truck that is the suspect vehicle in a shooting that left 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes was killed.https://t.co/nBs11lKoPZ @abc13houston pic.twitter.com/KfStcaYg3j
— Marla Carter (@MarlaABC13) December 31, 2018
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the suspect fled the scene in a 4-door red truck with no license plate. Police said the suspect wore a red hoodie during the attack.
“We’re going to use all resources available to bring this killer to justice,” Major Jesse Razo said while at the scene. “And I urge you, whoever did this, you know who you are. Please turn yourself in now – because we will be looking for you, we will locate you, we will find you.”
Jazmine was a 2nd grade student at Monahan Elementary School. Her school was less than two miles from there area where she died.
Anyone with information is urged to call 911 or Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS. The suspect is considered armed and dangerous.
The story is developing. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Jazmine Brown/Handout]
