Man Charged After 5-Year-Old Killed in Harris County Shooting

Jeremy Porter was arrested and charged with capital murder after a shooting in northwest Harris County killed five-year-old ZahLayah Walter, who was riding in a car with her mother and four siblings. Authorities said the shooting happened Saturday night on Grant Road near Jones Road. Walter was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her mother, Monica Hicks, said she was driving the children home when gunfire struck the car. Hicks said she had not exchanged words or gestures with another driver and did not know anyone was behind her. Other children in the vehicle were injured by shattered glass; their injuries were described as non-life-threatening. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said investigators used automated license-plate-reader information to develop leads that helped identify Porter. Authorities said he was arrested Sunday and booked into the Harris County Jail. Porter, 47, faces a capital murder charge. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not announced a motive. Accounts of what led to the shooting differ. Hicks has denied that a confrontation preceded the gunfire.