Authorities in Houston, Texas, arrested a suspect believed to be the killer of 7-year-old Houston girl Jazmine Barnes.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Eric Black Jr., was captured by Harris County Sheriff deputies on Saturday following a week-long search.
NBC News reports the suspect was charged with capital murder for the shooting. Officers apprehended and filed a charge based on a citizen’s tip given to Shaun King and passed on to police.
Eric Black Jr., 20, is charged with capital murder in the death of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes. #hounews
pic.twitter.com/OlmqMlb3ES— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) January 6, 2019
The Harris Sheriff's Department further investigated the tip finding the information to be enough to arrest Black. On December 30, LaPorsha Washington and her family were on a coffee run around 7 a.m. when a red pickup truck pulled aside their car opening fire.
“Black then admitted to taking part in the shooting,” and that ”investigators are continuing to pursue evidence that could possibly lead to other suspects being charged in this case.”
Initial reports described the gunman as a white man in his 40s. Washington believed the unprovoked shooting was a hate crime.
The family’s attorney, Lee Merritt, as well as activist Shaun King believe witnesses described a bystander who sped past the scene of the shooting. Harris Country police think Washington and her family were not the intended targets of the shooting and feel it was a case of mistaken identity, BuzzFeed News reports.
“Only some of y’all mothers can feel where I’m coming from, the pain that I’m feeling,” Washington told The Daily Beast. “Nobody else carried her for nine months, and she was so young… It’s not supposed to be like this.”
Rallies and online movement #JusticeForJazmine dominated national headlines as people pushed for the young girl's killer to be caught.
King and Merritt spearheaded an effort to gain information about the shooting. A reward of $100,000 was offered to anyone with information about suspects.
"I am grateful to our dedicated investigators, the partner law enforcement agencies that provided vital assistance and tipsters from across the nation who pulled together to support our work to get justice for Jazmine," Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a statement.
"Our work is not finished, but I believe the people of Harris County can take comfort in knowing we have made great progress."
According to The Daily Beast, police have another suspect in custody believed to be the actual gunman. The suspect's identity has yet to be revealed to media. There is also no confirmation if there are other suspects involved in the drive-by shooting.
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