Police arrest man in killing of 7-year-old girl, say shooting may have resulted from mistaken identity
01/06/2019 10:25 am PST
via WPIX:
HOUSTON (WPIX/CNN) -- After an intense week-long manhunt, Texas police have arrested a suspect in the drive-by killing of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes.
Eric Black Jr. faces a charge of capital murder in Jazmine's death. The second-grader was riding in a car with her mother and three sisters when she was shot in the head the morning of December 30.
Black was arrested based on a tip and has admitted to taking part in the shooting, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said overnight.
Before the arrest, police had released a sketch of the suspect compiled from descriptions from Jazmine's mother and three sisters. Authorities said the sketch depicted a white man in his 40s.
But Black, the man facing a charge of capital murder, is 20 years old and black.
Shortly after Jazmine was killed, both the sheriff's office and Jazmine's mother said the shooting seemed unprovoked. Just as the suspect evaded authorities, so did the motive.
Now authorities say the gunman may have been trying to shoot someone else.
On the morning of Jazmine's death, she and her sisters were still in their pajamas as their mom drove to Joe V's Smart Shop to get supplies for breakfast.
At about 7 a.m., a man drove up next to their car and opened fire, Jazmine's mother LaPorsha Washington said.
Washington, 30, was shot in the arm, while Jazmine's 6-year-old sister was hit by shattered glass. Jazmine's two teenage sisters were not injured.
But minutes later, Jazmine was pronounced dead.