A 17-year-old girl is being hailed as a hero after being fatally shot in a road rage incident this past Sunday.

Louise Jean Wilson was killed driving from her home in Texas to a nearby beach to watch the sunset with her friend and boyfriend, when cops say she likely swerved in front of another vehicle to avoid an accident.

The still-at-large driver of the other car proceeded to accelerate and pull up alongside the group, before firing multiple shots through the driver’s side.

Recent high school grad Wilson and one of the passengers were shot, while the shooter, described as a black male in his mid-20s, continued to drive down the highway away from the scene.

Struck in the heart, Wilson’s last act was safely pulling over to the shoulder of the road, Houston police revealed at a presser Wednesday – an act they said likely saved not only those in the car, but other vehicles on the ‘tight’ freeway that night as well.

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Louise Jean Wilson was killed driving from her home in Texas to a nearby beach to watch the sunset with her friend and boyfriend, when cops say she likely swerved in front of another vehicle to avoid an accident

The still-at-large driver of the other car proceeded to accelerate and pull up alongside the group, before firing multiple shots through the driver’s side.

‘Ms. Wilson was able to brake her vehicle and bring it to a stop,’ said Houston detective Caleb Bowling, revealing the shooter was still at-large.

‘Louise’s last act was to safely pull over, most likely saving the lives of the two males… and anyone else that was on the freeway in that very tight area there on the Pierce Elevated [section of I-45].

‘It was a heroic act for her to be able to get that car to the side and stopped with the injuries that she sustained.’

Joined by both of Wilson’s parents, Bowling went on to describe how the incident occurred –  on a short elevated section of I-45 along the southern boundary of downtown Houston known as the Pierce Elevated.

There, the group had been on the tail-end of a roughly three hour trek from their native Whitney to Galveston, an island city just past Houston, when they encountered the suspect’s vehicle.

Bowling recalled: ‘Patrol units with our Downtown division responded to a shooting that took place on the Piece Elevated section of forty-five Southbound Lanes just after 1am on Sunday morning. 

‘Upon arrival, officers locate[d] a vehicle that had pulled onto the right of the small shoulder area, [where] they found a female who had been shot multiple times, along with a male who had been shot once in a non-life-threatening area and a second uninjured male. 

‘Members of HFD arrived on scene shortly after and pronounced the female victim deceased,’ the detective said, as Wilson’s tearful mother clutched her graduation photo.

Struck in the heart, Wilson’s last act was safely pulling over to the shoulder of the road, Houston police revealed at a presser Wednesday – an act HPD Chief Troy Finner and others said likely saved not only those in the car, but other vehicles on the ‘tight’ freeway that night as well

‘Louise’s last act was to safely pull over, most likely saving the lives of the two males… and anyone else that was on the freeway in that very tight area,’ said Houston detective Caleb Bowling

‘It was a heroic act for her to be able to get that car to the side and stopped with the injuries that she sustained,’ he said

Joined by both of Wilson’s parents, Bowling went on to describe how the incident occurred – on a short elevated section of I-45 along the southern boundary of downtown Houston known as the Pierce Elevated

There, the group had been on the tail-end of a roughly three hour trek from their native Whitney to Galveston, an island city just past Houston, when they encountered the suspect’s vehicle, which was able to escape the scene (seen here)

Bowling recalled: ‘Patrol units with our Downtown division responded to a shooting that took place on the Piece Elevated section of forty-five Southbound Lanes just after 1am on Sunday morning.

‘Upon arrival, officers locate[d] a vehicle that had pulled onto the right of the small shoulder area, [where] they found a female who had been shot multiple times, along with a male who had been shot once in a non-life-threatening area and a second uninjured male.

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‘The injured male was transported to an area hospital, where he was later released that same night,’ Bowling continued.

‘Patrol units were able to close the freeway and use their remaining vehicles off the elevated section to facilitate the investigation. The female was, around that time, identified as Louise Wilson.’

At that point, the top cop said, the two males inside the vehicle were questioned, and told the officers how they had made the drive from Whitney.

The pair – one of them shot – ‘provided us with statements about the incident,’ Bowling said, ‘and indicated they were driving through Houston while on their way to Galveston. 

‘The witnesses indicated that Ms. Wilson had moved into the righthand lane, unintentionally cutting off the vehicle, [and] the vehicle they had cut off accelerated and overtook her on her driver’s side. 

‘The suspect, described only as a black male in his mid-twenties in a newer model black four-door sedan, [then began] firing into Louise’s vehicle striking her and the male witness,’ the officer added. 

‘The suspect’s vehicle continued along I-45 southbound without stopping,’ he continued, revealing the shooter was able to get away.

‘Members of HFD arrived on scene shortly after and pronounced the female victim deceased,’ the detective said of the recent high-school grad, who was from Whitney and was planning a career in law enforcement

‘The injured male was transported to an area hospital, where he was later released that same night,’ Bowling continued. ‘Patrol units were able to close the freeway and use their remaining vehicles off the elevated section… The female was, around that time, identified as Louise Wilson’

‘We’re asking for anybody who had been in that area and saw anything to please come forward, to call us,’ he added, as Wilson’s Central Texas community continued to mourn her loss Wednesday with a candlelit vigil.

‘We know, being 1 am on a Saturday night, or into Sunday morning… that that were other vehicles on the road out there, and that’s who we’re looking to and asking for help from – whether they saw something that they think is insignificant,’ Bowling added, as his homicide division has yet to secure any notable leads.

‘We’re asking for anybody who had been in that area and saw anything to please come forward, to call us,’ he added, as Wilson’s Central Texas community continued to mourn her loss Wednesday with a candlelit vigil.

Meanwhile, Daniel Wilson, the girl’s father, reiterated to reporters how his daughter ‘ended up dying a hero,’ while noting how she was loved by the community and was looking forward to pursuing a career in law enforcement. 

He urged those responsible to turn themselves in.

‘They know her. They knew her smile and they talk about what a beautiful young girl she was, and so just think about that, of what you took from this world and what she could’ve done,’ he said in a statement feet away from HPD Police Chief Troy Finner, before adding, ‘Lay that on your conscience.’

Wilson’s boss, Janet Dunnabeck at the Texas Great Country Cafe, praised Wilson as the perfect server who was wise beyond her years, remembering how she hired her earlier this year on the spot.

the girl’s father, reiterated to reporters how his daughter ‘ended up dying a hero,’ while noting how she was loved by the community and was looking forward to pursuing a career in law enforcement. He urged those responsible for her death to turn themselves in

‘We don’t normally hire servers at 17 years old, but her intelligence and maturity went far above from what I would ever expect from someone so young,’ Dunnabeck said of the youngster.

‘She was my superstar.’

Relatives, meanwhile, wrote in a GoFundMe launched to offset funeral expenses: ‘Louise had such a bright future ahead of her. She was a caring and gentle soul with a lovely personality that could light up a room.

‘Her life had far reaching impacts that only now we are able to comprehend. She is forever in our hearts and memories. And we know she is up there with God singing and dancing in the perfect peaceful landscape of heaven. 

‘Until we meet again in the new heaven and on the new earth, we will miss her dearly.’ 

Cops search for the still-unidentified suspect remains ongoing, police confirmed in a statement Saturday. A funeral service for Wilson is scheduled for Monday.