A manhunt is under way in Houston, Texas, for a gunman who attacked a young family in a drive-by shooting, killing a seven-year-old girl.<\/p>\n
Jazmine Barnes, her three sisters and mother, LaPorsha Washington, were driving when an unknown man pulled up alongside them and opened fire.<\/p>\n
Jazmine and Ms Washington were shot, and the seven-year-old died in the backseat as a result of her wounds.<\/p>\n
Police believe they were targeted at random and have not confirmed a motive.<\/p>\n
Authorities say the unidentified gunman is a bearded white male in his 40s, wearing a red sweatshirt, according to Ms Washington’s 15-year-old daughter, who got a glimpse of the man.<\/p>\n
He reportedly pulled up beside the family’s car in a red pickup truck on Sunday morning and began firing with no provocation, Harris County Police said.<\/p>\n
“We’re going to leave every motive out there as a possibility,” Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said during a news conference on Monday, according to\u00a0the Houston Chronicle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ms Washington, 30, was shot in the arm during the attack and her six-year-old daughter was injured by the broken glass.<\/p>\n From her hospital bed, Ms Washington tearfully told\u00a0KHOU 11 News<\/a>: “I replayed this moment in my head over a million times to see – did I cut this man off?<\/p>\n “Did I make a wrong turn in front of him?”<\/p>\n “Did I do anything wrong to cause this man to fire shots at my car? I didn’t.<\/p>\n “I didn’t do anything. He fired off at us for no reason.”<\/p>\n At Monday’s news conference, the sheriff urged anyone with information to come forward, asking locals to review security camera footage in their homes or businesses to help track down the gunman.<\/p>\n “Yes, we know we’re in Texas. Yes, we know we have a lot of pickup trucks out there,” Mr Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n “But when you put the pieces together, consider that we’re looking for a bearded man, possibly in his 40s, driving a red pickup truck. This could be your neighbour. This could be your co-worker.”<\/p>\n He also called on the gunman to turn himself in to avoid any further violence.<\/p>\n Jazmine’s father, Christopher Cevilla, told reporters his daughter was a “loving, caring” young girl.<\/p>\n “What if that was your daughter?” he said. “Please step up at this point in time and help me and my family get justice for my baby girl.”<\/p>\n The images of the pickup truck have been widely shared online as the manhunt continues.<\/p>\n Ava DuVernay, director of films Selma and A Wrinkle in Time, was one of the many voices on social media calling for the gunman’s capture, sharing the family’s story in a tweet.<\/p>\n Some social media users are suggesting the attack was a hate crime, although police did not say they are treating race as a factor in the shooting.<\/p>\n Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt and activist Shaun King have offered a $35,000 (\u00a327,800) cash reward for anyone who can help capture the suspect.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"