*Houston police are investigating the murder of 8-year-old De’Maree Adkins who was shot dead just moments after she survived a car crash unharmed.
Latoyia Jarmon-Thomas, De’Maree’s mother, says they were on their way home in her Honda Accord early Saturday when they were hit by a speeding Pontiac while traveling through an intersection, Click2Houston reports. “The light was green, and as soon as I got to the light it turned yellow, I couldn’t stop,” she says.
The crash left De’Maree unharmed but moments later, a third car pulled up, and a woman inside fired shots into the Honda, fatally wounding the girl.
“I don’t know who it was and I don’t know why she was shooting,” Thomas said. She didn’t realize her daughter had been shot until she attempted to remove her from the vehicle.
“I told her to stay with me, stay with me,” Thomas told the Houston Chronicle, breaking down in tears. “Her body just went limp.”
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De’Maree was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. She was a MacGregor Elementary school honor student and had recently started learning the violin.
Houston ISD said that as of Monday, there are additional grief counselors at the school. A statement sent to KPRC2 read, “HISD is sad to report that a MacGregor Elementary School student died Saturday. We offer our deepest condolences to the student’s family and friends, as well as to the entire school community. Counselors have been made available to support students and staff at this difficult time. ”
Between five and seven shots were fired into the vehicle, investigators say. Whether the shooter was targeting Thomas’ or someone in the Grand Prix involved in the crash remains unclear.
“We don’t know if they were firing at each other and struck the vehicle, or if once the accident happened, they got angry, jumped out and they shot the vehicle,” Detective David Stark said. “We just don’t know.”
A GoFundMe account has been made for Adkins.
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