David Xavier Castro was a Houston teen who was killed following a road rage incident that occurred when his family was returning home from an Astros game. Castro’s dad announced on Facebook his son had died. He was 17.
“David Xavier Castro. One of the gentlest souls to walk the earth was taken from us today,” Castro’s father, Paul Castro, wrote on Facebook. “I love all of you who have reached out today. Please give our family time to grieve and hold condolences by text and phone. We are not ready to share our grief. David will be missed by a world that barely got to know him. May God welcome him and grant his soul peace.”
The Houston Police Department is continuing the search for the suspect. No arrests have been made yet in the case. Police said Castro and his family were on their way home from the game Tuesday, July 6, 2021, when Castro’s dad and another driver in a white Buick sedan “exchanged hand gestures.” Police said the Buick followed the Castro family for several miles, then fired shots at their truck just after 11 p.m. David Castro was shot in the head, police said.
Houston Police released a photo of the suspect’s vehicle and asked the public for help in identifying the person who shot the teen. Officials mistakenly said the teen had died while he was in the hospital on life support. Paul Castro later confirmed his son had passed away.
Here’s what you need to know:
Houston Police Are Searching for the Suspect & Released Details on the Vehicle They Believe Was Involved in the Shooting
UPDATE: Newly obtained surveillance photo of suspect vehicle wanted in the shooting of a teen at 600 McCarty St. last night.
Vehicle believed to be a white Buick driven by a black male suspect. Please call @CrimeStopHOU with info for reward.
More info at t.co/Esgjrl6Fn1
Houston Police released several photos on Twitter of a vehicle they believe the shooting suspect was driving.
“The suspect, described only as a black male, was driving what is believed to be a four-door, white Buick sedan with a sunroof,” police said in a statement.
Police said the shooting occurred in the area of 600 McCarty Street at about 11:05 p.m. July 6. Castro was taken to a local hospital, where he was in critical condition immediately after the shooting, police said.
Police wrote:
Officers responded to a shooting call near Highway 59 and McGowen Street and observed Houston Fire Department paramedics loading the victim into an ambulance and transporting him to Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center. The victim had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Officers were advised the shooting happened in the 600 block of McCarty Street near the East Freeway (Interstate Highway 10 East).
The victim was one of two passengers in a pickup truck driven by his father. The father was driving on Chartres Street when he said he encountered the driver (suspect) of a white Buick sedan. The two drivers exchanged hand gestures and the suspect followed the victim’s vehicle onto the East Freeway and then on to McCarty Street. There, the suspect fired several shots at the father’s truck, striking one of the male passengers at least one time. The father stated he drove to the area of Highway 59 and McGowen Street and called 911.
David Castro’s Dad Shared a Photo on Facebook of the Family at the Houston Astros Game Just Hours Before the Shooting
Paul Castro, David Xavier Castro’s dad, shared a photo from the Houston Astros game four hours before the teen was fatally wounded.
“Let’s go ‘Stros!” he wrote.
About six hours later, he was pleading for prayers.
“Need prayers. Please,” he wrote simply.
About 24 hours later, he wrote “Please pray for a miracle.”
Houston Police asked anyone with information on the suspect or the vehicle to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
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