Texas man charged with capital murder in shooting death of 7-year-old girl released on bond
A Texas man charged with capital murder in the shooting death of a seven-year-old girl last year has bonded out of jail. Eric Black Jr., 20, who was charged in the death of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes in January, was released from custody on June 25, according to ABC Houston.
A day prior to his release, his $500,000 bond was lowered to $150,000, though the reasons for this are currently unclear.
Jazmine was with her mother, LaPorsha Washington, and her three sisters in a car moving southbound on the East Sam Houston Parkway feeder road near Wallisville Road in the early hours of December 30 when a red pick-up truck pulled alongside them and a man inside opened fire on them, reported the BBC.
When the shooting was over, one of the young girls made a gruesome discovery. Seven-year-old Jazmine had been struck in the head by a bullet and died at the scene. Washington was also shot and injured, though luckily, the three other girls managed to escape the incident unharmed.
Authorities said they did not believe Jazmine's family was the intended target of the shooting, and they were possibly the victims of mistaken identity.
The shooting caused widespread outrage, with even celebrities joining an appeal to find Jazmine's killer with the hashtag #JusticeForJazmine. A rally in the days after the incident attracted more than 1,000 people. A composite sketch of the suspect released by the police after the shooting showed a white male believed to be in his 30s or 40s, but on Jan 5, Harris County Sheriff's Office homicide investigators identified Black as a suspect based on a tip.
A subsequent investigation revealed evidence that corroborated the tip, and Black was taken into custody in East Harris County without incident, according to a release by the HCSO. The 20-year-old — who is believed to have been the getaway driver —admitted to his part in the shooting and was charged with capital murder.
He then agreed to a search of his residence, where police found a 9 mm pistol consistent with shell casings found at the site of the shooting. Investigators continued to pursue evidence that could lead to other suspects being charged in this case and later arrested 24-year-old Larry Woodruffe in connection to the shooting. It was reported that officials believe Woodruffe to be the shooter.
As for the white man that Jazmine's sisters remembered from the scene, police said he was a witness and not one of the shooters.