Sunnyvale deadly ambush video released, shooter caught on camera
SUNNYVALE, Texas - Sunnyvale police have released video of the car and the shooter involved in the ambush murder of a 27-year-old woman and there is now a $25,000 reward offered in the case.
The woman's brother and his three children were also injured in the shooting on June 4.
"We need more leads to kind of reinvigorate this investigation," said Sunnyvale Police Chief Bill Vegas.
Family of 5 shot in Sunnyvale townhome parking lot, suspects on the loose
Witnesses said a car following the Sunnyvale family into a townhome parking lot, approached their car and started shooting. A woman was killed and four others including three children were hurt.
The video released by police on Monday shows the car and shooter in the murder of Mesquite resident Tyseha Merritt.
Merritt was in a parking lot of Sunnyvale townhome complex when she was shot.
Footage also shows the suspect's car at Highway 80 and Belt Line before the shooting.
The car is a newer-model black Toyota Camry with tinted windows and 20-inch wheels.
"As the Camry pulls up, there's a horn honk and then the passenger front passenger exits the vehicle, and he approaches the driver side of the victim vehicle," said Vegas. "He's got a mask on. He runs up to the car and just unloads into the driver's window and into the rear window of the vehicle."
Merritt was hit several times in the torso.
Her brother can be seen running from the area in the video. He was hit in the lower back.
The brother's three children in the back seat were hurt, but lived.
The shooter jumped back in the Camry and quickly drove away.
"[The shooter is] about 6-foot, maybe a little bit taller, about 6'1" maybe 6'2". We believe he weighs about 230, 240. He's an African American male. He has a mask on, so you can't really see his face," said Vegas.
As the shooter gets back out of the Black Camry the driver blows the horn. That makes Chief Vegas think this was not road rage or random.
"There's theories about that, you know, one of the theories being that the reason there's a horn honk is because we want to get the attention of the driver and the passengers to make sure that we have the right car," he said.
The reward now stands at $25,000 after a $20,000 donation by the Town of Sunnyvale.
"Our town decided that $5,000 wasn't enough, that we needed to invest in this. We need to get answers," said Chief Vegas.
The incident was the first murder in Sunnyvale in 20 years.
If you have any information you can call North Texas Crime Stoppers at 1-877-373-8799 or the Sunnyvale Police Department at 972-203-0312.