The shooting happened near Keeneland at Ruellen, which is off Veterans Memorial.
Anthony Jarmolaski says he jumped out of bed when he head an unmistakable sound.
"Bam, bam, bam, bam, just like that," he said.
He says he tried to see where the gunshots came from.
"I came outside and I looked to the right and there's a man laying in the street in a pool of blood, and I'm like this guy is probably not going to make it," Jarmolaski said.
Davion White, 27, was shot and killed in his own front yard. His family says they are devastated. A woman who does not want to be identified says she's White's cousin.
"We think this is a horrific, horrific crime that has taken place here today," she said.
Authorities say White's car, a 1998 Buick, was stolen, not for the car but for the fancy 'swangas.' White's family says he bought the rims on Thursday and was working on them on Friday morning.
"What we want to make known here is that in this situation, Davion was a victim," said White's cousin. "He was not bothering anybody. We were not concerned when he bought those rims because as we stated, he was known here in the community. He has so many friends. These children grew up with him."
According to the Harris County Sheriffs Office, 4,500 cars were stolen in unincorporated Harris County last year and 10,000 more were stolen in Houston. 'Swangas,' say authorities, will increase the likelihood of the car being stolen. So far this year, 90 carjackings -- where a car was stolen at gunpoint -- happened in Harris County.
White's family does not see him as another statistic. He is considered a vital young man to his family, someone who liked nice things.
"We're not going to say that for him, the rims were an accomplishment, but what we're going to say is that anybody who knew Davion knew he worked hard for those rims and he liked pretty things, as any young man, he wanted to have nice items," his cousin said.
Family members say White leaves behind five children. Detectives say they're still searching for his killers.