A man who had just been held up at gunpoint at an ATM in southeast Houston opened fire in an attempt to stop the assailant, but instead shot a 9-year-old girl who was in a pickup truck. passed by, police said. The little girl passed away later in a hospital.
Arlene Alvarez had been on life support before she died Tuesday, her father Armando Alvarez told reporters.
Alvarez said Arlene was sitting in the back of her truck and wearing headphones when the shooting started Monday night.
“When they started shooting at us, I told them: ‘Get down’. She was the only one who didn’t get down. She didn’t listen to me,” Alvarez commented.
Tony Earls, 41, was charged with aggravated assault and causing serious bodily injury in the shooting, police said. He was being held at the Harris County Jail on $30,000 bond. An attorney could not be reached to speak on his behalf.
Arlene’s death was announced shortly after police said charges had been filed against Earls. Dane Schiller, a spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, said prosecutors will review the possibility of updating the charges against Earls.
“Our hearts go out to the Alvarez family. We are going to review all the evidence, apply the law and determine what charges are appropriate,” Schiller said.
On Monday night, Deputy Police Chief Matt Slinkard called the shooting an “incredibly tragic event.”
Arlene is the second 9-year-old girl to be shot in Houston in a matter of a week. Ashanti Grant remains hospitalized after being shot in the head during a road altercation on February 8.
On Monday, Earls and his wife were at an ATM at 9:45 pm when another man approached their vehicle and robbed them at gunpoint, Slinkard said.
As the suspect fled on foot, Earls got out of his vehicle and began firing, including at a pickup truck he believed the robbery suspect had gotten into, police said.
However, the van in which a family of five was traveling was not involved and had been “just driving” down a street near the ATM, Slinkard said.
“This shows that whenever firearms are involved, the danger to innocent bystanders is extremely high,” Slinkard added.
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