Mom of 15-year-old shot before wild police chase speaks only to ABC13: 'My son didn't deserve this'
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The shooting of a 15-year-old sparked chaos across multiple neighborhoods in northwest Houston Tuesday night, with suspects even firing at officers before their arrest.
A total of four people are in custody, including a 17-year-old, two 18-year-olds, and a 19-year-old.
The Houston Police Department said it all started at about 6:20 p.m. on Pitner Road, where officers were told the 15-year-old was shot in the neck and taken to the hospital.
The victim's mother, Vickie Lopez, identified him as Joseph, or Jojo, as his friends call him.
According to Lopez, her son was outside their apartment when he was shot. She showed ABC13 where the bullets pierced through her front window and went through her living room and bedroom walls. He has already undergone two surgeries, and doctors say he is lucky to be alive.
"They say they don't see many people make it with that wound because it's a main artery, and people bleed out," Lopez said.
Lopez is shocked because her other son witnessed the shooting, and she says they know one of the suspects well and consider him family.
"He was always at my house, my daughter's quinceañera. He's like another son to me," Lopez said.
Recently, she said she gave him advice on how to turn his life around and isn't sure why he or any of the other suspects would do this.
"My kids, they don't do stuff like this. They stick to themselves. My son didn't deserve this," Lopez said.
Police said a description of a potential suspect vehicle, a maroon van, was put out within minutes of the shooting.
When officers spotted the getaway minivan, they tried to pull the driver over, but he wouldn't stop, sparking an about 11-mile chase.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Boy's shooting sets off pursuit, shots fired mid-chase, and 4 arrests, HPD says
Investigators said the suspects in the van fired several times at officers in patrol cars during the pursuit.
"Our officers did not return fire back. Thankfully, no officers were injured. No citizens were injured during this exchange. But three of our patrol vehicles were struck by gunfire," Asst. Chief Keith Seafous with HPD said.
The chase ended on Ameswood Road near Hearthstone Country Club, where the four suspects jumped out of the minivan. Three of them were arrested, but one ran from police.
The fourth suspect who ran off was arrested in a neighborhood a couple of miles east, on Log Cradle Drive, within an hour after HPD searched by helicopter and using K-9s.
A neighbor shared surveillance video with ABC13 showing one of the suspects cutting through his backyard right before the arrest.
The four suspects face a list of charges, including aggravated assault of a peace officer.
