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U.S. NEWS Monday 7 January 2019

Man charged with murder in Houston girl’s death

After the shooting, a The girl’s killing prompted fered for information lead-
composite sketch of a an outpouring of support ing to an arrest. Houston
white man in a dark hood for her family from celebri- Mayor Sylvester Turner said
was widely circulated. ties and ordinary people the support Jazmine’s fam-
Jazmine’s family and activ- across the country. On Sat- ily received provided law
ists had said the shooting urday, hundreds gathered enforcement “with a sense
was similar to an unsolved at a rally near where the of urgency and made
incident in the area in 2017 shooting happened, hold- Jazmine’s loved ones know
in which a gunman de- ing balloons, stuffed ani- they weren’t alone in their
scribed as white shot into mals and signs that read, time of grief.” “We share
a vehicle carrying at least “Justice for Jazmine.” A their deep sense of loss and
two black people. $100,000 reward was of- anger,” Turner said.q

This undated image provided the Harris County Sheriff’s Office
shows Eric Black Jr. Prosecutors said Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019, that
the shooting death of a 7-year-old black girl as she rode in her
family’s vehicle stemmed from a case of mistaken identity.
Associated Press
By JUAN A. LOZANO three sisters were on their
Associated Press way to the grocery store.
HOUSTON (AP) — A black At a court hearing early
man was arrested and Sunday, prosecutors said
charged with murder in the a confidential source had
killing of a 7-year-old black contacted the sheriff by
girl in a drive-by shooting email and told him the kill-
that authorities said Sunday ers had “shot the car by
appeared to be a case of mistake,” thinking the ve-
mistaken identity, not a ra- hicle was someone else’s
cially motivated attack, as that they had seen ear-
her family feared. lier that night. Prosecutors
Jazmine Barnes’ family had did not say why the killers
described the gunman in opened fire. The sheriff said
the Dec. 30 slaying as a there was, in fact, a red
white man driving a red truck at a stoplight just be-
pickup and believed race fore the shooting, but the
played a role in the shoot- driver did not appear to
ing. But acting on a tip have been involved. Gon-
received by a civil rights zalez said it was dark, the
activist, the sheriff’s depart- shooting happened quick-
ment zeroed in instead on ly, and truck was probably
Eric Black Jr., a 20-year-old the last thing seen by the
black man who admit- Jazmine family.
ted he was driving a dark- Authorities want to talk to
colored SUV from which a the person in the red pick-
passenger opened fire, au- up to get his account of
thorities said. Harris County the crime, Gonzalez said.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Black, who was arrested
authorities have identified Saturday night during a
the second suspect, who traffic stop, was charged
is also black, but would not with capital murder and
say whether the person jailed without bail. Court
was in custody. Gonzalez records did not list an at-
cautioned that authori- torney for him. Prosecutors
ties were still investigating, said the 9 mm handgun
but said: “At this point, it believed used in the shoot-
does not appear it was re- ing had been recovered
lated to race.” Chris Sevilla, from Black’s home.
Jazmine’s father, said in a During Sunday’s hearing,
brief telephone interview prosecutors said Jazmine’s
that he was feeling “a bit mother, LaPorsha Washing-
of relief right now” after the ton, had tried to drive to a
arrest. The shooting took hospital after the shooting,
place at a stoplight while but one of her front tires
Jazmine, her mother and had been shot out.