Texas Police Release Sketch Of Man Suspected Of Killing 7-Year-Old Jazmine Barnes
Police in Texas released a composite sketch of the man suspected of killing 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes in a drive-by shooting.
The drawing was revealed by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzales at a Thursday press conference. According to NPR, the suspect is described as a white man in his 30s or 40s. The suspect has a thin build, pale skin, blue eyes, a 5 o’ clock shadow, and was wearing a black hoodie.
The FBI has now joined Texas police in the hunt for the unidentified man, who was driving a red pickup truck when he pulled up to Barnes' family and opened fire. Jazmine's mother, LaPorsha Washington, was also shot during the attack.
Police also revealed that the sketch has led to "many potential leads" that are currently being investigated.
The case struck a nerve in many people around the country, including civil rights attorney Lee Merritt and activist Shaun King, who have offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the killer's arrest.
Sherriff Ed Gonzalez said his authorities are "not going to rest" until they find Jazmine's killer.
Gonzalez also said his department is "not tone-deaf" to community concerns the attack was race-related.
"Our focus right now is identifying who this individual is, who this coward is, and identifying this truck as soon as possible," he said at a news conference on Thursday.
Just over a year ago, a similar attack involving a white man in a pickup truck occurred less than 10 miles away from where Barnes was gunned down, the Guardian reports.