Texas police have made an arrest in the murder case of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes.
On Saturday, the Harris Country Sheriff's Office released a statement claiming that their week-long manhunt ended calmly when Eric Black Jr. was taken into custody without incident. Although the 20-year-old African American does not fit the witness descriptions of the shooter being a white man in his 40s, an anonymous tip fingered Black as the trigger-man behind the drive-by killing. This, along with Black admitting his hand in the shooting, has resulted in capital murder charges with the possibility of more indictments.
Many rallied behind the #JusticeForJazmine movement after hearing details of the deadly shooting that also injured her mother, LaPorsha Washington, as they were in a vehicle with three other children. Police believe the attention for the Dec. 30 tragedy led to the tip that closed the case.
Because of car's passengers, police also believe that Barnes and her family were attacked by mistake.
"At this time, investigators do not believe Jazmine's family was the intended target of the shooting, and that they were possibly shot as a result of mistaken identity." the statement reads.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez goes on to thank the anonymous tippers who aided in Black's arrest while vowing to find Black's accomplices.
"I am grateful to our dedicated investigators, the partner law enforcement agencies that provided vital assistance, and tipsters from across the nation who pulled together to support our work to get justice for Jazmine," Gonzalez said. "Our work is not finished, but I believe the people of Harris County can take comfort in knowing we have made great progress."
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