HOUSTON — A Houston-area family is pleading for answers after their loved one was fatally shot just steps away from her home.
According to the Houston Police Department, 37-year-old Maria Flores was found unresponsive at her apartment complex on Concourse Drive near the Westpark Tollway on Sept. 4. She had suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was later pronounced dead.
Speaking to KHOU 11 News Tuesday, Vanessa Flores wiped away tears as she spoke about her older sister. The two last talked on the phone just days before Maria was killed.
“She was bubbly, she loved to laugh,” she said. “She was like, 'I’m getting my stuff back on track.' I remember she was excited because she was about to start a new job. We were all trying to help her before it happened.”
Vanessa said another sibling called her to deliver the news of Maria’s death.
“We just took off to my mom's house, and we saw everybody there, and we got the devastating news. It felt like it was a dream, it felt like it wasn’t real. There's a piece of us missing now," Vanessa said.
The day after the shooting, HPD released surveillance video that showed Maria walking with who they call a “person of interest.” While Vanessa said her sister was friendly, she does not believe Maria knew her killer.
“My sister trusts a lot of people and that’s the bad thing,” she said. “They don’t know each other, so she was just coming out of her apartment, and she was a victim."
On Tuesday, KHOU 11 News obtained a new surveillance image of the person of interest identified by HPD. So far, authorities have only described him as a Hispanic male.
“Turn yourself in and pay for what you did,” Vanessa said. “You won’t get away with it. We’re going to continue to fight for her until she [Maria] gets justice.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477 or HPD Homicide at 713-308-3600.