The mother of a 7-year-old girl who was shot and killed in a Walmart parking lot has spoken out from her hospital bed, saying the girl was “intentionally killed.”
LaPorsha Washington, the mother of slain girl Jazmine Barnes,
told ABC13 about the girl’s final moments. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said that a man in a red pickup truck pulled up next to their vehicle and opened fire at a car, killing Jazmine and injuring Washington.
“As I turned around and looked back at the street, I heard shots start firing and they came through my window, broke my glass, and hit me in my arm,” she told the station.
“They sped off in front of us and the truck slowed down and continued to fire as he was in front of us. It was not fair. It was not fair. He intentionally killed my child for no reason. He didn’t even know her, he didn’t know who she was,” Washington said.
After the shooting, Washington and her other daughters noticed Jazmine was unresponsive.
“She said, ‘Momma, Jazmine’s not moving. She’s not talking.’ I turned around and my 7-year-old was shot in the head,” she recalled.
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with expenses. “Unfortunately, the life of my 7 yr old little girl was taken selfishly by a unknown suspect. I hope and pray for my family to find peace and justice for our loss. I could never imagine the day of losing one of my own children let alone the youngest of my 8 in such a selfish and sensless way (sic),” says the
page.
The suspect was described as a white man in his 40s with a beard. Officials said they are looking for a red four-door pickup truck, KHOU
reported.
“Please keep this family in your prayers. A total of 5 occupants in the car witnessed this innocent child, their loved one, shot and killed before their eyes. So senseless. It’s never easy, and extra hard during the holiday season,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez
tweeted on Dec. 30.
“We’re going to use all resources available to bring this killer to justice,” police spokesman Jesse Razo said, Local12 reported. “And I urge you, whoever did this, you know who you are, please turn yourself in now because we will be looking for you, we will locate you, we will find you.”
It wasn’t clear what triggered the shooting. “The motive is unknown right now,” Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland told
CNN. And according to ABC13, officials are trying to determine if the attack was random or targeted.
The sheriff’s office is asking locals in the area around Wallisville Road near the E. Sam Houston Parkway, near the Walmart, to check surveillance video to try an identify the suspect. Jazmine’s great-uncle
said to ABC13 that wants locals to come forward. “He’s not human,” the relative said of the suspect.
Anyone with information about the shooting can call 713-274-9100 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. Anonymous tipsters can submit a tip online via www.Crime-Stoppers.org.
