Court records say Jeremy Porter told investigators he fired five shots at the vehicle carrying the child and her family.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A 47-year-old man faces a capital murder charge after investigators said he fired into a vehicle carrying a mother and her five children, killing 5-year-old Zah’Layah Walter in northwest Harris County.
Jeremy Porter was arrested Sunday and booked into the Harris County Jail in connection with the late Saturday shooting on Grant Road near Jones Road. Court records cited by local news organizations say Porter later acknowledged firing five shots at the family’s vehicle. Authorities have not said that the charge represents a finding of guilt, and the case remains pending in court.
The shooting happened about 11:30 p.m. Saturday as Monica Hicks was driving with her five children, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said gunfire struck the vehicle. Zah’Layah was wounded, while two other children suffered injuries from shattered glass that authorities described as not life-threatening.
Hicks said she was able to reach her nearby apartment complex before realizing how seriously her youngest daughter had been hurt. She called 911, and emergency responders attempted to save the child. Zah’Layah was flown to a hospital by Life Flight and was later pronounced dead, authorities said.
Investigators initially described the shooting as an apparent road-rage incident. Hicks has disputed that characterization, saying she did not cut off another driver, exchange words with anyone or otherwise take part in a confrontation before the gunfire. The sheriff’s office has since said the motive remains under investigation.
Court records provide another account of what investigators say Porter told them. According to those records, Porter said he believed Hicks’ vehicle had been driving erratically and that someone in it had fired at him. Hicks has denied doing anything that would have prompted the attack. Authorities have not publicly announced evidence establishing that anyone in the family’s vehicle fired a weapon.
The records say automated license plate readers helped investigators trace a vehicle to Porter’s residence. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the technology helped detectives quickly develop information in the case. Investigators arrested Porter on Sunday, less than a day after the shooting.
Gonzalez said automated plate readers can assist investigators but do not replace traditional police work. The systems capture license plate information from passing vehicles and can be used by law enforcement to identify vehicles connected to investigations. Their use has also drawn privacy concerns in communities across the country.
The capital murder charge places the case among the most serious criminal prosecutions under Texas law. Prosecutors and investigators will still have to establish the allegations through the court process. Publicly available reports did not indicate that Porter had entered a plea as of the latest updates reviewed Tuesday.
Porter was expected to begin making court appearances as the case moved forward. Authorities said the investigation remains active, including efforts to establish what led to the shooting and fully document the events on Grant Road before the gunfire began.
Author note: Last updated September 22, 2026.