Houston Mother Shot to Death with 3-Year-Old in the Backseat

A 3-year-old in Houston is recovering from a traumatic event after witnessing his mother being violently shot to death.

DECEASED FEMALE FOUND EARLY THURSDAY MORNING

Houston Police Department reported finding a deceased female in a crashed car at 2:45 a.m., Thursday morning. The woman, 34-year-old Danielle "Danny" Banks and was not alone in the vehicle. Next to her was an injured male passenger, and in the back seat was her 3-year-old son.

EVERLASTING TOLL FOR A LITTLE BOY

The adult male was injured with multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital, where he is undergoing surgery. The young boy in the backseat was physically uninjured, however, the trauma from witnessing his mother shot to death may have an everlasting toll.

Asst. Chief J. Anderson with the Houston Police Department said, "I can't imagine the trauma that he's feeling and the shock of what this event must have been."

WITNESSES STEP FORWARD WITH INFORMATION

Some witnesses stepped forward and told officers what they saw. According to some people in the area, they witnessed, "Two vehicles speeding down West Gulf Bank when someone inside a white vehicle opened fire."

Police were quickly able to locate the white vehicle, which was found nearby with a blown-out tire. Two people were inside the vehicle and taken in as a "person of interest."

CHILD IS WITH FAMILY

Officers were able to locate family members of the 3-year-old boy to take care of him, "Officers were able to get him to his grandmother and in the care of the family so that he's being taken care of... No apparent injuries, but I can imagine this being a very traumatic event for him," said the Asst. Chief.

Law enforcement is still investigating the situation and has not released whether this was a road rage incident or something unrelated.