Texas man charged with capital murder after 5-year-old killed in roadway shooting

A Texas man has been arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with a roadway shooting that killed a 5-year-old girl over the weekend, authorities said.

Jeremy Porter, 47, was taken into custody and booked into the Harris County Jail in Houston after investigators identified him as the suspect in the fatal shooting of Zah'Layah Walter, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Investigators used evidence, including information obtained through automated license plate readers, to identify Porter, who was arrested less than 24 hours after the shooting, authorities said.

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Zah'Layah Walter, 5, was killed in a roadway shooting in northwest Harris County, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2026. (Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez via Facebook)

The shooting happened Saturday night in northwest Harris County, where Zah'Layah was riding in a vehicle with her mother, Monica Hicks, and her four siblings when someone opened fire on the family's vehicle, the sheriff's office said.

Authorities said bullets struck the vehicle, killing the 5-year-old.

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Jeremy Porter, 47, was taken into custody and booked into the Harris County Jail. (Harris County Sheriff's Office via Facebook)

Hicks told local outlet KHOU she was driving home from her mother's house with her five children when someone began shooting at the family's vehicle on Grant Road near Jones Road.

"All my kids in the back seat were screaming, and they continued to shoot in my car. And I did not know my daughter was hit until I pulled into my apartment," Hicks said.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office said the investigation remains ongoing.

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The Harris County Sheriff's Office said it remains "committed to seeking justice for [Zah'Layah] and supporting her family." (Harris County Sheriff's Office via X)

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"We stood alongside the family of 5-year-old Zay’Layah Walter, whose life was tragically taken in a roadway-related shooting. The person accused of taking her life has been arrested," the Harris County Sheriff's Office wrote on X on Tuesday. "We remain committed to seeking justice for [Zah'Layah] and supporting her family."

The Harris County Sheriff's Office could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.

Sophia Compton is a Writer at Fox News Digital. Sophia was previously a business reporter covering finance, energy and tourism and has experience as a TV news producer. She graduated with a journalism degree in 2021 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Story tips can be sent to sophia.compton@fox.com.