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Man Charged In Drive-By Shooting Of Houston 7-Year-Old Released On Bond

HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — One of two men facing capital murder charges in the drive-by shooting death of a 7-year-old Houston girl is out on bond.

The Houston Chronicle reports Saturday that court records show 20-year-old Eric Black Jr. was released June 25 after his attorneys successfully argued his $500,000 bond should be lowered to $150,000.

Prosecutors say Black and 24-year-old Larry D. Woodruffe were in an SUV that opened fire on the car carrying Jazmine Barnes, her sisters and mother on Dec. 30. Black is suspected of driving the SUV. Woodruffe's attorney previously said he wasn't in the SUV.

Jazmine Barnes
Jazmine Barnes, a 7-year-old Texas girl, was shot and killed after an unknown man opened fire on the car with her family inside. (credit: CBS News)

Witnesses had originally described the shooter as a white man driving a red pickup truck, prompting concerns that Jazmine's death was a hate crime.

But, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said he believes the initial description was sincere and the man in the red truck was likely a bystander who left the scene of the shooting.

Prosecutors say Black and Woodruffe thought they were attacking people whom they had fought with at a club hours before Jazmine's death.

Woodruffe remained jailed Saturday. Black's next court date is Aug. 16.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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