Houston freeway shooting: Gunman on the run after killing 2 during rush hour

Dillon Thompson
Updated ·2-min read

A shooter is on the run after killing two people on an interstate highway in Houston Thursday evening.

The incident began just before 6 p.m. on Interstate 10, according to ABC News. Police are still searching for the gunman, and are investing whether his actions were the result of road rage or some other cause.

The rush-hour shooting was prompted by an accident between two cars traveling eastbound on the freeway, according to police. The suspect's car, which was carrying one other passenger, struck the victims' car, causing it to spin out on the road.

From there, the alleged gunman emerged from his vehicle armed with what one witness said appeared to be an assault rifle. He then fired shots at the other car.

"Unreal scene just witnessed on I-10 in Houston," tweeted Daniel Gotera of KHOU-TV. "A guy gets out of his car with gun just shooting in the middle of freeway. Unbelievable."

As the victims' car rolled downhill, the shooter followed the vehicle and continued firing. Both the gunman — described as a Hispanic male in his 20s — and his other passenger fled the scene in their car.

CNN reported that witnesses performed CPR on the victims as they waited for police to arrive. However, both passengers — described as two middle-aged black men — were killed in the incident.

"A major accident makes you mad on the way home, but seeing something like this to a normal citizen... witnesses are very disturbed," Houston Police Assistant Chief Bobby Dobbins said in a press conference Thursday evening.

Another witness, armed with a pistol, told police he began firing at the shooter after the man looked at him, ultimately scaring the gunman off.

Police later found narcotics in the victims' car. But it's unclear whether the incident was drug-related in any way.

"Road rage? An accident? Narcotics? We just don't know yet, so I won't speculate," Dobbins added during Thursday's press conference.

Authorities are offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the shooter's arrest.