Investigation ongoing in suspected road rage shooting that critically injured teen in Haltom City
HALTOM CITY — A 16-year-old boy is fighting for his life after a suspected road rage shooting in Haltom City, and police need your help to identify the suspect's car and figure out who is responsible for firing the gun.
Surveillance footage shows a dark-colored, four-door sedan coming from Fort Worth and turning onto East Belknap, early Sunday morning.
"And the vehicle has this HD, very bright LED headlights," said Chief Cody Phillips with the Haltom City Police Department.
In the video, you can see that sedan driving briefly next to another car. Inside that vehicle was a 21-year-old man with his younger brother in the passenger seat.
Seconds later, you hear two gunshots.
"The vehicle was shot two times, once on the left rear tire and then one through the trunk, which traveled through the passenger seat, striking the 16-year-old victim," said Chief Phillips.
His brother then pulled over to call 911.
"You can imagine the intensity of the situation and just the shock of it," Phillips said. "You're trying to wrap your head around what just happened."
The older brother said four men were inside the suspect's vehicle. After reviewing video evidence, police believe the shooting stemmed from a road rage incident.
"The vehicle the victim was in exited a parking lot in front of the vehicle the suspects were operating, causing them to change lanes," said the chief. "There was some sort of exchange between the two."
According to police, the bullet hit the teenager in the back and caused multiple internal injuries. Initially, doctors didn't think he'd survive, but he's been making progress each day. He's still in the hospital in critical condition, and the family has asked for privacy during this time.
Police say they had just recently moved to Haltom City.
"And for somebody to do this without aggravation or any kind of soliciting a violent response like this, we're going to take it serious and we'll do everything we can to make sure that we provide justice for the family and the victim," said Phillips.
Police are working to get a better description of the suspect's car and the people inside.
The shooting occurred near the 4400 block of East Belknap between 4:15 a.m. and 4:45 a.m.
If anyone has additional information related to this incident or access to video cameras in that area, please contact the Haltom City Police Department at 817-222-7000 or by emailing Detective Key: dkey@haltomcitytx.com. His direct number is 817-222-7034.