Background: The scene in Houston, Texas on Sept. 4, the night Quoc “Jake” Nguyen was found dead (KHOU). Inset: Quoc “Jake” Nguyen (GoFundMe).
Police in Texas are seeking the public”s help in identifying the suspect they said shot a Marine veteran and left him for dead.
In a press release, the Harris County Sheriff’s Department stated that 28-year-old Quoc “Jake” Nguyen was found dead on Thursday night. Around 11:00 p.m. that night, patrol units responded to calls of an unresponsive man, later identified as Nguyen, on the side of a suburban road in Houston, Texas. Police originally believed Nguyen was the victim of an “auto-pedestrian accident,” but further investigation revealed that he had been shot. Local NBC affiliate KPRC reported that a bystander called 911 and attempted CPR to revive Nguyen, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Now, a homicide investigation is underway, and Harris County detectives are looking to the public for possible leads.
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Harris County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jason Brown told CBS affiliate KHOU that detectives were looking into surveillance video from the area. After Nguyen’s family members were notified of his death, they shared more details about their loved one, including his status as a veteran of the U.S. Marines and his employment as an Uber driver.
According to KPRC, investigators said that Nguyen was in his vehicle when he left an apartment complex. The car then crashed, and police believe the suspect removed Nguyen from the car and left him on the side of the road before taking off in Nguyen’s vehicle.
On a GoFundMe page set up by Nguyen’s family, his siblings said that he was “unarmed and defenseless” when he was killed, and that his death meant a loss of financial support for his family. They said, “Our family will remember him as a hero in many ways.”
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is now seeking tips that could lead to the suspect in Nguyen’s homicide. They have urged anyone with details to call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 713-222-TIPS.
