Suspected gunman claims he was hired to shoot taco stand employee, prosecutors say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Katy man told someone he was hired to conduct a shooting at a taco truck in southwest Houston, according to prosecutors.

On Nov. 3, 2022, police said a gray Cadillac pulled up to a taco truck in the 8700 block of S. Braeswood near Gessner and opened fire.

One of the truck's employees, 19-year-old Sergio Chavez, was hit in the head while his father avoided being shot.

Within weeks of the shooting, police said they began looking at Jeremy Hartman as a possible suspect.

But the now-19-year-old wasn't charged for his alleged role in the shooting until Monday, days after his Feb. 8 arrest on a marijuana possession charge.

On Wednesday, prosecutors revealed that Hartman may have been hired to shoot the taco truck employees.

"All we do have is a confession made to a witness who stated that the defendant had stated that he had been paid to do this," Asst. District Attorney Alexander Fryer said.

Hartman's attorney denies any shooting-for-hire plot and said he maintains his innocence.

"A lot has gone on between now and, obviously, 2022. The first place we're going to be looking at is, 'Why did it take so long to bring about these charges?'"attorney Brian LaVine explained.

In addition to the aggravated assault and serious bodily injury charge he faces in connection with the taco truck shooting, Hartman has three pending felony cases.

Two months before the shooting, police said he was driving the same gray Cadillac in an unrelated incident when he allegedly pointed a gun at two women in a fit of road rage.

He's also accused of attempting to strangle his then-girlfriend last year.

Hartman is being held on a $500,000 bond.

For news updates, follow Luke Jones on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.