Texas boys, aged 6 and 8, drive car to safety after dad shot dead while driving
HOUSTON, TEXAS: Two very young boys reportedly steered a car to safety in Houston after their father was shot and killed while driving. Authorities are currently looking for the person who opened fire on the SUV the victim was driving on the East Freeway overnight. After watching their father slump over the steering wheel of the car, the two boys had to take control of the vehicle before seeking help.
While it's uncertain whether this was an incident of road rage, news of this comes months after the harrowing killing of toddler Aiden Leos left the nation rattled. Leos was on his way to school when his mother, who was driving, gave the middle finger to a passing car before they shot and killed her son. Just a month ago, another shocking clip went viral as it captured a man identified as Kendell Matthews shooting at a pickup truck in a fit of road rage. Just two weeks ago a drunk man called Miguel Larios ended up killing his pregnant girlfriend in a road rage accident. In case of the two boys who drove the car to safety after watching their father get shot, nobody else was injured.
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According to local ABC channel, the incident happened in the area of I-10 and Federal Road around 11 pm. The victim and his two boys were headed towards the east, along the main lines of the freeway when the children reportedly heard a loud noise and assumed a rock had hit the car. Instead, they watched their father slump over the steering wheel, Houston Police told the press.
The boys then took control of the steering wheel of the SUV and drove the vehicle off the main lanes for approximately a mile into a service road before coming to a stop near Federal Road. That's when they got out of the car and ran to seek help. According to the police, the boys, aged 6 and 8, were able to find a woman exiting a Chili's restaurant nearby, and she called 911.
The 29-year-old father was pronounced dead at the scene from a single gunshot wound to the head. Police were not able to provide information on the shooter or the vehicle they were in. Applauding the boys' quick thinking when the incident happened, police also credited them for their actions that potentially prevented further tragedy on the very busy freeway.
"We don't know if it was road rage or if it was someone actually trying to get these individuals," Lt R Willkens with the Houston police department told ABC. "So, prayers for their family. The kids are safe right now." Willkens, whom NBC identifies as Wilkins, also told the network's affiliate local channel KPRC: “We don’t know if it was a road rage incident. We are not real sure what exactly occurred." ABC reports this shooting was at least the third violent incident involving gunfire in Houston within a 12-hour period. The outlet adds that none of these incidents are believed to be related.