Father Fatally Shot; 2-Year-Old Son Found Dead In SUV Stolen By Shooter Hours Later

Houston police are investigating the death of a 2-year-old boy who was found inside a stolen SUV hours after his father was gunned down in a southeast Houston parking lot in Texas Tuesday afternoon.

Cops responded to reports of a shooting on El Camino Del Rey Street at around 2 p.m. Upon reaching the location, they learned that the shooting victim, 38, had met with another man for an undetermined reason, KHOU News reported.

During the meeting, the two men allegedly had an argument, after which the suspect pulled out a gun and shot the victim multiple times in the chest. He was declared dead at the scene.

Meanwhile, the suspect fled the scene using the victim's SUV.

At about 6:30 p.m., Houston police received a call from a woman who reported that her husband and child were missing. As the woman provided her husband's and child's details, the police connected the dots and concluded that it was her husband who was fatally shot on El Camino Del Rey Street, according to ABC13.

Police further noted that they had no clue there was a child in the stolen vehicle until the woman reported it.

"We realized very quickly that (the victim from the original scene) was her husband," Houston Police Department Executive Chief Larry Satterwhite said, as per the outlet. "We never knew about the child until she called."

Within 30 minutes of searching the area, the cops located the SUV on Elm Street near Renwick Drive and found the child unresponsive in the backbeat of the locked car.

They broke the car window to retrieve the 2-year-old, but he had already died. Officers believe the child died due to heat exhaustion after being left in the vehicle for a long period of time.

Meanwhile, the unknown suspect is on the run. Police are asking people with information on him to come forward. They have released surveillance footage of the suspect, who is a Black man with a slim build.

"A mother lost her husband, and she lost her 2-year-old child. We are asking for help," Satterwhite added.

Police shared a more detailed description of the suspect in a tweet, noting, "Suspect is described as a black male wearing black shorts, a white shirt, and an Oakland Raiders hat."

It was not revealed if the deceased victim and the suspect knew each other.