Texas City Police arrested 23-year-old Messiah Pickens-McCoy for the alleged shooting and killing of 67-year-old Gregory Sharretts, owner of Bayou Bistro in Bayou Vista, Louisiana.
On January 26, Pickens-McCoy was seen driving a Mazda 2 at the intersection of State Highway 3 and 25th Avenue North in Texas City around 3 p.m., when he allegedly fired at the Ford truck driven by Sharretts after an apparent argument.
Authorities have not confirmed the cause of the shooting but believe it could have been “road-rage related.”
In video footage obtained from a witness, the two vehicles are shown at the intersection as the truck attempted to enter the lane in which Picken-McCoy waited.
Although the vehicles never collided, the witness claimed the motorists may have been “exchanging words” as the windows were down.
A hand can subsequently be seen reaching out from the driver’s side window of the Mazda and opening fire upon the truck.
The victim was shot in the back of the head and pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooter drove away from the scene, leading police on a brief chase that ended at the Costa Mariposa apartments on Monticello Drive.
Officers also discovered the younger brother of Pickens-McCoy within the vehicle, along with a Glock handgun, an empty magazine, and spent shell casings.
After an interview, Pickens-McCoy’s brother was charged with a misdemeanor for possession of drug paraphernalia but received no shooting-related charges.
Pickens-McCoy initially denied having any involvement in the shooting.
Once police exhibited the video footage, he claimed that he was present in the car but that other unidentified people accompanied him.
The suspect is charged with murder and is detained within the Galveston County Jail on a $550,000 bond.