By Tim StellohNBC
News
Houston authorities are seeking a gunman in the deaths of a man who was fatally shot Tuesday and a toddler, believed to be the victim's son, who was found dead in the back seat of an SUV. .
The unidentified shooter has not been apprehended, and investigators are trying to determine a motive for the shootings, Houston Deputy Police Chief Larry Satterwhite told reporters.
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The police department released security video Tuesday night that they say showed the gunman.
The boy's alleged father, 38, was found dead near a shopping center southwest of downtown Houston, Texas, after authorities responded to a report of a shooting at 1:46 p.m., according to Satterwhite.
The victim has not been identified.
Investigators determined that after the attacker and victim met, an argument may have ensued and the attacker opened fire, shooting the man multiple times and fleeing in the victim's SUV. , as detailed by Satterwhite.
Police are searching for a man accused of fatally shooting a man who was found dead southwest of downtown Houston Tuesday afternoon.@houstonpolice via Twitter
Five hours later, while authorities were investigating the shooting, a woman called police and reported that her husband and 2-year-old son were missing.
Authorities quickly determined that the missing husband and the shooting victim were the same person, according to Satterwhite.
"We didn't know anything about the boy until he called at 6:36," he added.
Within 30 minutes, according to Satterwhite, agents found the abandoned SUV a mile (1.6 kilometers) away from the original location.
The boy was motionless and unresponsive in the back seat.
The officers broke the window of the vehicle, began CPR on him, and called an ambulance.
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“Unfortunately, it was too late.
The child had passed away in the car,” she claimed.
The boy's cause of death was unclear, although Satterwhite said he could have died from the heat.
It was unclear how long the SUV had been left there.
"Pray for this family," Satterwhite asked.
“A mother has lost her husband and today she has lost her two-year-old son,” she recalled.