HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Court records are providing new details about the killing of a 62-year-old grandmother who was shot in the 4900 block of Greenhouse Road on July 16.
What happened?
Saron James was driving home with her husband when a bullet smashed through the windshield of their car and killed her.
One week later, deputies charged 19-year-old Tekoney Blackledge with murder. Blackledge is a known gang member who lives within a mile of the shooting scene, authorities said.
Officials said James was not the intended target.
Road rage incident
A witness who was driving in front of James’ car said they saw the driver of a white Audi SUV get involved in a road rage incident. He told deputies that two occupants of the Audi were shooting at a man in a black truck. One of those bullets is the one that hit James, investigators said.
"Initially, we had info it could be gunplay between different parties," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
Description of shooter
The witness also described the driver of the Audi as a male with short dreadlocks.
Two days later, Blackledge was brought into Texas Children's Hospital with a gunshot wound, according to investigators.
An alert Houston Police Department officer who was working security noticed he fit the description of the shooting suspect. The officer told investigators that Blackledge told him someone had taken a shot at him a few days before.
The officer checked Blackledge’s record and found a mug shot. It was shown to the witnesses, who identified Blackledge as the man driving the SUV. By that time, Blackledge had been released from the hospital.
"We can’t just hold somebody without probable cause. And the investigators had been working on that daily trying to develop that. So, if there had been sufficient information or named suspect prior to that, then perhaps we would have had a little bit more," Gonzalez said.
Blackledge is still at large. Deputies are asking anyone who knows where he can be found to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered.