'Take full responsibility for what you did,' mom to 7-year-old daughter's killer

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – The mother of a 7-year-old girl who was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting Sunday morning made an emotional plea to her daughter's killer, who remains on the run.

"If you're watching this, you should have a heart to step forward and say you did this to this baby because she did not deserve what you did to her and you were wrong," LaPorcha Washington said from a hospital bed Monday. "As a man, you should step forward and take full responsibility for what you did to my child."

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Washington was shot in the arm and her daughter, Jazmine Barnes, was shot in the head when an unknown man in a red truck opened fire into Washington's car, Washington told KPRC.

Washington for the first time described in detail what happened Sunday, explaining that she was on a coffee run with her four daughters when the shooting happened.

"As we passed Walmart, I had turned over and asked my girls, 'Was Joe V's at this light or the next light?' and my daughter said, 'Momma, I think it's at the next light,'" Washington explained to KPRC. "As I turned around and looked back at the street, I heard shots start firing and they came through my window.

"Broke my glass, hit me in my arm. They sped off in front of us, and the truck slowed down and continued to fire as he was in front of us and then he sped off."

Washington said one of her daughters called out to each of her sisters to see if they were OK. That's when Washington said she realized Jazmine was dead.

"She said 'Momma, Jazmine’s not moving. She’s not talking.' I turned around and my 7-year-old was shot in the head," Washington told the Houston TV station through tears.

The mother of four shot down speculation that there was a confrontation before the shooting, saying, "We didn't cut nobody off. We weren't in the Walmart parking lot. We did not stop at Walmart."

"(Jazmine) did not deserve this," Washington said. "She did not deserve this. She left so many people behind, including her 6-year-old little sister who is going to ask about her every day."

Washington called for nearby businesses to help bring her daughter's killer to justice by providing surveillance video to authorities.

Authorities in Harris County described the suspect's vehicle as a four-door pickup. Houston officials described him only as a bearded white man, possibly in his 40s, wearing a red hooded sweatshirt.

Investigators told KPRC they are still trying to determine a motive.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at 713-221-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.