Motorcyclist killed in apparent road rage in Spring was husband and father of 3, his mother says

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- The mother of a motorcycle rider who was killed in an apparent case of road rage last week identified her son and said that he was a father of three, with a fourth child on the way.

Heidi Myers Fiedler said her 32-year-old son Jesse Metzger is the man who died on Jan. 27 in Spring.

"It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that today my son, Jesse Metzger, was murdered in an apparent road rage incident in Spring, Texas," Fiedler wrote on Facebook. "He was not the perfect son, father, husband, or brother, but he was mine. He was ours. Today I joined a club I never sought to be a part of, and I'm hoping no more of my friends ever have to join."

According to what police told ABC13, Metzger's friends found him dead near his motorcycle Friday morning in a Home Depot parking lot. Harris County deputies believe it was another case of road rage.

It happened at about 12:30 a.m. on the North Freeway at Holzwarth.

Authorities said Metzger was out at dinner with friends.

He left the restaurant, but then soon called his friends.

"Our preliminary investigation has indicated that the male, the victim, was at a local restaurant with several friends. When he left the restaurant, shortly after leaving the restaurant, he contacted his friends and said he was being followed by a white Jeep Cherokee," Sgt. Greg Pinkins said last week.

At some point, his friends went looking for him and found him in the Home Depot parking lot just off the North Freeway.

The friends flagged down a Precinct 4 deputy. At first, the deputies said they thought they were helping with a crash involving the motorcycle, so they called first responders. They soon figured out he had been shot.

Deputies at this time don't know where the actual shooting happened, but based on what they know so far, they believe it may have been a case of road rage. They believe after the victim was shot, he pulled into the parking lot and collapsed.

Though the sheriff's office is still working to figure out the circumstances, they do not believe there was any sort of fight at the restaurant.

Deputies are looking for a white Jeep Cherokee. They have not released further details about the vehicle's possible year and model, as well as any details about who they are looking for.

"Jesse had an infectious laugh, was so tall and handsome, had a creative talent that spanned music and drawing, and he never stopped trying to 'make it,'" Fiedler wrote.

Metzger's mother added that her son leaves behind a wife, Paula, who is due in July with their fourth child. The couple has three young children.

Fiedler wrote on a fundraiser page for expenses that the money will go toward a funeral and anything left over will go toward her son's family.

Fiedler said donations are also accepted through the following methods:

Venmo: @RussellFiedler

Zelle: 409-682-2266

PayPal: ourhouse212@yahoo.com

SEE RELATED STORY: Man says he was knocked out and needed stitches after road rage punch near Willowbrook Mall

The video above is from ABC13's initial report on this road rage shooting.