Suspect detained in killing of Houston father, death of toddler left behind in hot car

HOUSTON, Texas (KWTX) - A person of interest has been detained in the fatal shooting of a father, and the death of the victim’s toddler who was apparently left behind in stolen vehicle in hot temperatures, Houston Police said.

Houston Police said the “person is being questioned” by detectives.

The incident reportedly started about 1:45 p.m. Tuesday with an argument between the toddler’s 38-year-old father and another man at a shopping center in Houston.

Police first released the video Tuesday afternoon on their Twitter with the caption ”Surveillance video of the suspect sought in the death of a 2-year-old child and the fatal shooting of an adult male.”

The boy’s father was shot several times in the chest and the gunman drove off in the father’s SUV.

Police say they didn’t know a child was inside the stolen vehicle until a woman called in a missing persons report for her husband and 2-year-old child at 6:36 p.m.

“We realized very quickly that (the victim from the original scene) was her husband,” HPD Executive Chief Larry Satterwhite said to KTRK. “We never knew about the child until she called at 6:36 p.m.”

About 30 minutes later, investigators found the SUV with the 2-year-old dead inside.

Police believe the toddler died from being left in a hot vehicle, saying he may have been in the car since about 2 p.m. Temperatures reportedly reached highs in the mid-90s.

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