Homicide detectives have released the identity of a man who was found shot to death in the parking lot of a southwest Houston restaurant Saturday afternoon.
The victim, according to police, is 42-year-old Phillip Rogers.
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A 911 caller reported seeing a person slumped over and bleeding in the parking lot of the Chili’s restaurant in the 7400 block of the Sam Houston Parkway at Hillcroft shortly before 1 p.m.
When officers arrived to the scene, they found Rogers dead in the driver’s side of white Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck. Investigators said he suffered one or two gunshot wounds, and that he could have been killed the day before.
Employees said the truck had possibly been there since Thursday, and some noticed it was parked oddly in the lot, but did not pay that much attention to it, at first.
It wasn’t until someone finally approached the vehicle that it was realized a person was inside, and unresponsive.
A Homicide detective said they did not initially come out in the beginning, because they thought it could have been a case of suicide. When the Medical Examiner arrived, it was discovered that the person had been harmed by someone else.
Investigators said Roger’s death seemed to be tied to drugs.
“Speaking with family who is out here, they have informed us that their loved one, since about the age of 15, was very heavy into narcotics - using, selling - and at this time we do believe that this possibly is drug related,” the investigator said