Boys, Ages 6 And 8, Steer SUV To Safety After Father Is Fatally Shot While Driving

Police recently released photos of a vehicle believed to be involved in the deadly shooting.

September 17, 2021
police car at the crime scene

The boys, ages 6 and 8, were able to grab the steering wheel of their SUV after their father was hit by gunfire on I-10 near Federal Road.

Photo by: screenshot via ABC13

screenshot via ABC13

The boys, ages 6 and 8, were able to grab the steering wheel of their SUV after their father was hit by gunfire on I-10 near Federal Road.

By: Aaron Rasmussen

Authorities in Texas continue to search for whoever is responsible for fatally shooting a man while he was driving, forcing the father’s two young sons to steer the vehicle to safety.

On Aug. 20 around 10:45 p.m., Tyler Wayne Young, 29, was on the East Freeway in Houston when witnesses said a white sedan pulled up to the victim’s SUV and began firing, striking the father at least once, KPRC-TV reported.

Young’s two sons, ages 6 and 8, told officers they had heard a pop and at first believed a rock had hit their car. When their father slumped dead over the steering wheel, the boys took control of the SUV and managed to guide it for around a mile before steering it off the freeway and onto a service road. The boys, who were uninjured in the attack, then flagged down a woman exiting a Chili’s restaurant for help, according to police.

“We don't know if it was road rage or if it was someone actually trying to get these individuals,” Houston Police Lt. R. Willkens said shortly after the incident, according to KTRK-TV.

The victim’s brother, Cody Young, wrote in a GoFundMe that his sibling was “a loved son of a single mother, brother of three, husband, and father of three” in the process of rebuilding a manufactured home when he was killed.

Police recently released surveillance photos of the vehicle believed to be connected to the deadly shooting and are asking for the public’s help, KPRC-TV reported.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477) or the Houston Police Department’s Homicide Division at 713-308-3600.

Next Up

Man Filmed Crying After Locating Son’s Body 34 Years Ago Now Accused Of Murder

Justin Turner, 5, was found dead in 1989, two days after his father, Victor Lee Turner, and stepmother, Megan Turner, reported the boy missing.

Texas Father, Son Arrested In Connection With Pregnant Teen, Boyfriend Found Shot

Police say surveillance video and phone data aided detectives in making sense of a “very, very perplexing” crime scene.

New Jersey Teenager ‘Casually’ Slaughtered His Family During New Year’s Eve Party

“He killed them because he could,” the prosecutor said of Scott Kologi fatally shooting his parents, sister, and grandfather’s partner on Dec. 31, 2017.

Idaho Man Murdered Partner After Learning She Consulted Lawyer About Separation

John Dalton admitted he “snapped” before shooting Tina Swor five times execution-style.

5 Disturbing & Bizarre Facts About Dee Dee Blanchard

Inside the murder of this allegedly abusive mom that brought Munchausen by proxy syndrome into the spotlight.

Death, Drugs & Deceit: A Timeline of the Murdaugh Family Mystery

On March 3, 2023, Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of the June 2021 murders of his wife and son.

Kentucky Man Commits Quadruple Murder After Family Forces Him Into Hospital

‘It seemed like he was in some kind of zombie state or something,’ a family member says of the convicted killer’s mental health struggles.

Georgia Lawyer Convicted Of Fraud Murders Mother Before Going On Lam

“It’s shocking beyond description,” the brother of convicted killer Richard Merritt says of the case.

Missing Connecticut Mom Jennifer Dulos Officially Declared Dead As Trial Begins

Jennifer Dulos, a missing mother of five from New Canaan, Connecticut, was officially declared dead, and now her ex’s girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, is on trial in connection with her murder.

North Carolina Couple Accused Of Murdering Woman Who Refused Threesome With Them

“They bled her out in a bathtub like an animal in a slaughterhouse,” the victim’s grandmother says of the “depraved” case.