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Houston Police are still seeking information on a suspect of a road rage incident that left a 17 year old dead.
On July 6, Paul Castro was driving home with his two sons following an Astros game, as previously reported by Houston Daily. He got into a verbal altercation with another driver near Minute Maid Park and the driver started to follow Castro's vehicle. The other driver opened fire on Castro's vehicle hitting 17-year-old David Xavier Castro in the head. The elder Castro and his other son were not harmed. David was rushed to Memorial Hermann Hospital and died of his injuries on July 8.
David was a member of the Houston Westside High School Wolf Band and director Gerardo L. Gonzalez shared his initial reaction when he first heard the about the tragic news.
"Honestly, when I first heard about it, I think stunned is the first thing I can think of," Gonzalez told Houston Daily. "More than anything and it still hasn't really set in, but a combination of disbelief and shock and just being stunned for a good while.
According to Gonzalez, "band was one of the most important things" to David. He played percussion for the Westside Wolf Band for three years. He played a drum set in jazz band, played in the percussion studio and he was a member of the drum line in school's marching band. Prior to that, he played percussion in middle school at West Brier Middle School.
David was also a leader earning the position of drum captain this past spring. Gonzalez said that David took the initiative and made it a point to meet with the new percussion teacher who was starting later this fall to ease the transition process.
"I think he was just a great person," Gonzalez told Houston Daily. "We had lunch in my office probably three or four weeks ago and he was just a very kind person and very welcoming. He knew that his role as drum captain was more important now with a change in percussion teachers because that can be a tough thing for percussion students to grasp.
Gonzalez ended by giving his condolences to David's family and loved ones.
"He was a very special guy and he's going to be missed by so many friends, colleagues and teachers, both in the band program and on campus at large," Gonzalez told Houston Daily. "He was a truly special person and we're going to feel his his loss for quite some time."
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner pleaded with the public to come forward with any information they may have on the shooting.
Houston police say there's a $10,000 award for information leading to the arrest of the suspect, NBC News reported. Police have released a composite sketch of the suspect and have described him as a black or Hispanic male in his 20s to early 30s driving a white, four-door Buick LaCrosse with a sunroof. Police report that the vehicle was displaying a temporary paper license plate on the back with no plates on the front, had distinctive rims with seven holes and the headlights were an unusual yellowish color.