(HOUSTON) — A driver could face a possible murder charge after he allegedly struck and killed an innocent bystander on a sidewalk in Houston early Sunday while attempting to mow down his domestic partner, according to police.
The incident unfolded around 3 a.m. after patrol officers in the city’s Midtown area responded to what they initially thought was a gunshot and found the mortally injured victim on the sidewalk, Robert Ementich, a spokesperson for the Houston Police Department, said during a news conference.
“It’s my understanding that the victim, the decedent, was actually the manager of one of the nightclubs and was preparing to go home,” Ementich said.
Witnesses, including the alleged intended target, told police the suspect and his domestic partner were involved in an altercation at a nightclub and left the establishment, Ementich said.
“Upon leaving the establishment, the male got into the vehicle and started driving around and struck multiple vehicles,” Ementich said.
Ementich said the driver’s domestic partner alleged to investigators that the suspect, whose name was not immediately released, intended to strike her with the vehicle when he hit the innocent bystander.
“She was able to get out of the way,” Ementich said of the suspect’s companion. “Unfortunately, an innocent bystander who was walking on the sidewalk was struck by the suspect’s vehicle.”
Ementich said the Houston Fire Department administered first aid, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
The name of the woman killed was being withheld by police pending an autopsy and notification of her relatives.
Ementich said it was not immediately clear if the suspect’s domestic partner was his wife or girlfriend.
With help from witnesses, police officers located the suspect several blocks away and took him into custody, Ementich said.
Ementich said police and prosecutors are looking into possibly filing a murder charge against the suspect, alleging it was an “intentional act” to try to hit his partner.
“It’s kind of like if he were to pull out a gun and try shooting his wife and missed. It was still his intention to use a deadly weapon,” Ementich said. “Instead of a 160-grain bullet, he used a 4,000-pound motor vehicle as his weapon of choice.”
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