A 47-year-old Texas man has been arrested and charged with capital murder after a roadway shooting killed a 5-year-old girl over the weekend, authorities said.
Jeremy Porter was arrested and booked into the Harris County Jail in Houston after investigators identified him as the suspect in the shooting death of Zah’Layah Walter, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
Authorities said evidence in the case, including information from automated license plate readers, helped investigators identify Porter. He was arrested less than 24 hours after the shooting.
Zah’Layah Walter, 5, was killed in a roadway shooting in northwest Harris County, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2026. (Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez via Facebook)
The shooting occurred Saturday night in northwest Harris County as Zah’Layah traveled in a vehicle with her mother, Monica Hicks, and her four siblings. Someone opened fire on the family’s vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.
Several bullets struck the vehicle, killing the 5-year-old girl, authorities said.
Jeremy Porter, 47, was taken into custody and booked into the Harris County Jail. (Harris County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook)
Hicks told local outlet KHOU that she was driving home from her mother’s house with her five children when gunfire erupted near Grant Road and Jones Road.
“All my kids in the back seat were screaming, and they continued to shoot in my car. And I did not know my daughter was hit until I pulled into my apartment,” Hicks said.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is still underway.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said it remains “committed to seeking justice for [Zah’Layah] and supporting her family.” (Harris County Sheriff’s Office via X)
“We stood alongside the family of 5-year-old Zay’Layah Walter, whose life was tragically taken in a roadway-related shooting. The person accused of taking her life has been arrested,” the Harris County Sheriff’s Office wrote on X Tuesday. “We remain committed to seeking justice for [Zah’Layah] and supporting her family.”
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from News Media.