Houston motorist randomily fired on, snipes back on overpass

[atxgun]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6366239.html

No charges have been filed so far in a fatal shooting earlier this week on Interstate 45.

Houston police said a man killed one man and wounded two others after they fired at him while driving in the 9400 block of North Freeway about 12:20 a.m. Wednesday.

Officers were called to a gas station in the 7400 block of North Shepherd because three males had been shot. Investigators determined that the men had been shot at the freeway and drove to the Shell station.

According to police, they were driving a white Pontiac Grand Prix when they fired gunshots at the driver of a truck. Then they exited the freeway at West Gulf Bank.

The truck driver stopped on the West Gulf Bank overpass and got a rifle from his back seat for protection, police said. As he looked over the side of the freeway to see the license plate of the Pontiac, he saw the car's driver's side window open and feared the suspects would shoot at him again.

He fired several shots at the Pontiac, hitting the passenger who was sitting in the front seat and another man who was in the back seat.

The front-seat passenger, 17, was taken to Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital, where he later was pronounced dead.

The Ponitac's driver, who was cut in the face by flying glass and shrapnel, and rear seat passenger were treated at the hospital. Their conditions are not immediately known.

A 19-year-old man who was passenger in the car ran away, but was later found and questioned.

I wonder how much truth there is to this "trying to the get lic. plate, they rolled down the window" vs. revenge. Either way, moral of the story: Don't mess with Texans.

[boomerang]

Don't bring a handgun to a rifle fight?

[ClarkLZeuss]

I'm confused. In relation to the truck, was the Pontiac moving towards it or moving away from it (or else stationary) when the truck driver fired at it?

[KD5NRH]

Appears to be the same incident:

http://www.click2houston.com/news/19125676/detail.html#-" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HPD: Man Dies While Trying To Steal Boat
POSTED: Wednesday, April 8, 2009
UPDATED: 5:32 pm CDT April 8, 2009

HOUSTON -- One person was killed when a group of men tried to steal a boat while driving down a freeway, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Houston police said three men in a car tried to steal a boat that a man was hauling with his pickup truck on Interstate 45 at about 1 a.m.
Investigators said the men in the car opened fire on the man in the pickup truck. The man in the pickup truck returned fire, officials said.
One of the men inside the car was killed. The driver of the car stopped at a gas station on North Shepherd Drive for help.
The driver of the pickup truck lost control and ended up a field. There were fish in the boat because the man was returning from a fishing trip at Lake Conroe.

[casingpoint]

This certainly does illustrate how one might use a loaded gun while going to or coming from fishing pursuant to CFR Sec. 327.8.

[KD5NRH]

It's telling that the article I posted was from 1732 Wednesday, and yet the 1140 Thursday article in the Chronicle doesn't mention the robbery motive, nor the bit about the driver of the truck losing control of his vehicle.

[RHenriksen]

I'd only seen the Th article, and thought it was awfully thin on details as well.

It's telling that the article I posted was from 1732 Wednesday, and yet the 1140 Thursday article in the Chronicle doesn't mention the robbery motive, nor the bit about the driver of the truck losing control of his vehicle.

[ddurkof]

And some people complained about Joe Horn. I wouldn't call it "sniping," it is more taking the tactical advantage. There must be some overwhelming evidence present that is not mentioned for the police not to file charges. The pickup driver's eye sight must be better than mine, because I sure couldn't read a LP from the top of an overpass. I would like to read the offense report, but I will bet that the two survivors never make the mistake of letting your opponent get the high ground again.

[Spoon201]

There were fish in the boat because the man was returning from a fishing trip at Lake Conroe.

?? I fail to see the relevance of that.

[KD5NRH]

There were fish in the boat because the man was returning from a fishing trip at Lake Conroe.

?? I fail to see the relevance of that.

Me too...I was starting to wonder if there might be some additional offense for attempting to steal a lawfully taken game animal prior to final processing, but I'm too lazy to go see.

[FlynJay]

And some people complained about Joe Horn. I wouldn't call it "sniping," it is more taking the tactical advantage. There must be some overwhelming evidence present that is not mentioned for the police not to file charges. The pickup driver's eye sight must be better than mine, because I sure couldn't read a LP from the top of an overpass. I would like to read the offense report, but I will bet that the two survivors never make the mistake of letting your opponent get the high ground again.

You can see pretty well through the scope of a rifle

[Cosmo 9]

How do you "try to steal a boat while driving down a freeway"

[seamusTX]

I am responding to some of the previous five messages.

Casingpoint was referring to the Army Corps of Engineers regulation that prohibits carrying a loaded weapon or ammunition on property that they control. If you can't carry ammunition there, you also can't carry it on the way to or from.

The word sniping is morally neutral. It simply means shooting from concealment. It may be done for lawful or unlawful purposes.

Referring to KD5NRH's comment, stealing game is not an aggravated offense. Theft of livestock or exotic fowl (ostriches, emus, etc.) is a felony regardless of the value of the animal stolen.

Robbery, which is what was allegedly attempted in this case, is a felony and a justification for the use of deadly force regardless of the value of the thing stolen.

This story has been poorly reported. I can't figure out what really happened.

If the alleged robbers thought that they could get away with shooting the driver of a moving vehicle and stealing the vehicle on one of the most heavily traveled roads in Texas (I-45 north of Houston), they were even more complete idiots that the usual thug who was dropped on his head in infancy.

- Jim

[The Annoyed Man]

Don't bring a handgun to a rifle fight?

BINGO

[zaroffhunts]

It sounds like a job well done and a good example of one of Clint's tenets. I wish more crimes had a similar ending.