Nelson Beckett 90 year old navy veteran shot and killed in Houston carjacking as $15K reward offered for arrest. Assailant described as black man between ages of 25-30.
A $15K reward is being offered leading to the arrest of an individual responsible for the shooting death of a 90 year old navy veteran during a carjacking in southwest Houston over the weekend.
Nelson Beckett was shot and killed on Saturday outside an assisted living apartment complex off Westbrae Parkway. The 90 year old was pulling out to buy groceries when the man approached him, assaulted him and shot him, before taking his car and running over Beckett with his own car as he sped away, Fox News reported.
The 90 year old’s car was found less than three miles away from the shooting scene, KHOU11 reported.
Christian man who gave to his community
Beckett was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to ABC13.
The suspect was described as being a black man aged between 25 and 30, and continued to remain at large two days later. Police conceded still being unable to identify the suspect.
Beckett’s daughter, Tami Freund, said the 90-year-old had served in the Navy and had five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren with another on the way and lived at the retirement community where he met his fate.
‘He loved big and loved his family so much,’ Freund told Fox News. ‘To him, everyone had value, and he would do anything for anyone.’
Freund added that her father was a Christian and the kindest, funniest man she had ever met.
Freund said he spent much of his retirement helping others, including by driving people without cars to doctor’s appointments and Sunday church service.
Beckett even offered his home as a halfway house, taking lodgers to panhandle and driving them to church where he even baptized some of them.
Houston homicide rate
Houston has a homicide rate of 19 murders per 100,000 people, according to the most recent available data, making it the most dangerous city in Texas.
It compares with 16.6 murders per 100,000 people in Dallas, 15.9 per 100,000 in San Antonio, 10.8 per 100,000 in Fort Worth, and 6.8 per 100,000 people in Austin.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 in the case. On Monday afternoon, Texas Gov. Abbott said the state’s Public Safety Office was offering an additional reward of $10,000.
Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or speak anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
