Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 23

Jeremy Porter Charged in 5-Year-Old's Killing After Harris County Roadway Shooting

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 23

Jeremy Porter Charged in 5-Year-Old's Killing After Harris County Roadway Shooting

Q: Why did a Texas man claim self-defense after fatally shooting a 5-year-old girl in her family vehicle?

He claimed self-defense because, according to court documents cited by local outlets, he told investigators he believed the people in the family’s vehicle had shot at him first and that the vehicle was being driven erratically. Jeremy Porter, 47, allegedly admitted firing five shots at the car carrying Monica Hicks and her children near Grant Road and Jones Road in northwest Harris County. That gunfire killed 5-year-old Zah’Layah Walter and injured two other children with shattered glass. Authorities have not confirmed Porter’s version as fact. Investigators said the motive remains under review, and the mother has publicly rejected the idea that this was provoked by her driving. Hicks said she did not cut anyone off, did not exchange words with another driver, and did not believe it was a road-rage incident. Porter was arrested within 24 hours and charged with capital murder, a charge that applies in Texas when the victim is under 15. Investigators said automated license plate reader data helped identify him. The case remains under active investigation, so his self-defense claim is at this stage an allegation he made, not an established finding.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 23

Jeremy Porter, 47, was arrested and charged with capital murder in the roadway shooting that killed 5-year-old Zah'Layah Walter in northwest Harris County, Texas.
Less than 24 hours after the Saturday night attack, investigators said they identified Porter using evidence that included automated license plate reader data.
Zah'Layah was riding with her mother, Monica Hicks, and four siblings when someone opened fire on their vehicle on Grant Road near Jones Road, and bullets struck the child.
Hicks told KHOU she did not realize her daughter had been hit until she reached her apartment, while the Harris County Sheriff's Office said the investigation is still ongoing.