Texas Man Charged With Capital Murder in Fatal Roadway Shooting of 5-Year-Old

A Texas man has been arrested and charged with capital murder after a roadway shooting killed a 5-year-old girl over the weekend, authorities said.

Jeremy Porter, 47, was arrested and booked into the Harris County Jail in Houston after investigators identified him as the suspect in the fatal shooting of Zah’Layah Walter, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

Authorities said investigators used evidence, including data from automated license plate readers, to identify Porter. He was arrested less than 24 hours after the shooting.

The shooting occurred Saturday night in northwest Harris County as Zah’Layah traveled in a vehicle with her mother, Monica Hicks, and her four siblings. Someone opened fire on the family’s vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.

Gunfire struck the vehicle, killing the 5-year-old girl, authorities said.

Hicks told local station KHOU that she was driving home from her mother’s house with her five children when shots were fired at the family vehicle on Grant Road near Jones Road.

“All my kids in the back seat were screaming, and they continued to shoot in my car. And I did not know my daughter was hit until I pulled into my apartment,” Hicks said.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is still underway.

“We stood alongside the family of 5-year-old Zay’Layah Walter, whose life was tragically taken in a roadway-related shooting. The person accused of taking her life has been arrested,” the Harris County Sheriff’s Office wrote on X Tuesday. “We remain committed to seeking justice for [Zah’Layah] and supporting her family.”

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to News Outlet’s request for comment.