Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Second suspect charged in shooting death of Houston girl, 7
HOUSTON — Authorities announced Tuesday that a second black man has been charged in the fatal drive-by shooting of a 7year-old black Houston girl, whose death her family had initially believed was racially motivated.
The Harris County Sherriff’s Office said Larry D. Woodruffe, 24, has been charged with capital murder in the Dec. 30 slaying of Jazmine Barnes.
Authorities previously said that they believe Woodruffe was the person in an SUV who fired upon Jazmine and her family as they drove to a grocery store.
The driver of the SUV, Eric Black Jr., 20, has also been charged with capital murder.
Authorities say Woodruffe and
Black mistakenly thought they were attacking people they’d previously fought at a club hours earlier when they shot at Jazmine and her family.
The family had described the shooter as a white man driving a red pickup, prompting concerns that her death was a hate crime.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said he believes the family’s initial description was sincere and the man in the pickup was likely a bystander who left the scene.
Woodruffe was charged as Jazmine’s funeral took place Tuesday. Woodruffe and Black were both taken into custody Saturday. The sheriff’s office said they identified Woodruffe and Black as suspects based on a tip from social activist and writer Shaun King that was corroborated by their investigation.
While Black was charged on Sunday with capital murder, Woodruffe was being held in the county jail on a drug charge while authorities prepared a capital murder charge against him.