HOUSTON – Houston police are investigating a homicide that briefly shut down all northbound lanes of I-45 just north of downtown Wednesday evening.
Investigators told KPRC 2 the shooting may be the result of road rage.
Houston police responded to reports of a shooting around 6:40 p.m.
Officers said two vehicles were driving north on I-45, just north of I-10, when they noticed a vehicle parked on the shoulder with its hazard lights flashing.
The concerned drivers told officers they approached the car and found a man in the passenger seat slumped over and covered in blood. The drivers said they immediately called 911.
Police said the 27-year-old victim was driving northbound on the freeway when he was shot through the front driver’s side window. Houston firefighters pronounced the man dead on the scene.
As the investigation continues, officers said the incident could be the result of road rage. Investigators are hoping to hear from anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area around 6:30 p.m.
“It’s always a possibility,” said Asst. Chief Michael Skillern. “You know how things have been lately around the city and around the country with everybody being more agitated. So, we’re not ruling anything out at this point. No lead is too small. No information is not valuable to us. So anything you might have, please let us know.”
Skillern said they hadn’t received any calls about abandoned or illegally parked vehicles, so they don’t think the victim had been on the side of the road for long. Right now, police said they have no witnesses or leads in the case.
No suspects have been arrested at this time.
Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Homicide division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.