Houston official plead for info on road rage suspect who shot 9-year-old girl in the head

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A 9-year-old Houston girl remains in a medically-induced coma after getting shot in the head last week during an apparent road rage incident and authorities are pleading with the public to help capture the alleged shooter.  

Local leaders and city officials gathered Monday to announce a $30,000 reward for any information to find the person responsible for injuring Ashanti Grant.

"Her young life has been altered forever by a cowardly act… by a criminal driving on our streets and freeways thinking he or she is above the law," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said during a news conference. "Ashanti should be in school with her teachers and classmates and returning to her family. Instead, she remains in a hospital fighting to recover."

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Ashanti Grant, 9, remains hospitalized after being shot in the head while inside a vehicle with her family last week. On Monday, Houston leaders called for the suspect or suspects to turn themselves in.  (Houston Mayor's Office)

He added that Grant's situation "is improving, but she's not there yet."

The young child was watching cartoons in the backseat when she was shot, an unspecified relative, Larry Grant, said. The shooting came after the death of another family member in January, he said. 

Investigators said the child was traveling with her family to the grocery store around 9 p.m. on Feb. 8 when the driver of a GMC Denali cut their vehicle off multiple times on the Southwest Freeway. At one point, the GMC got behind the vehicle and someone opened fire and hit Grant in the head. 

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner issued a message to whoever is responsible for the shooting.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and other city leaders gathered Monday to announce a $30,000 reward in the case of Ashanti Grant, 9, who was shot in the head last week in an apparent road rage incident.  (Houston Mayor's Office)

"A message to our suspect, or suspects: the best thing you need to do is turn yourself in," he warned. "Every resource we have, and all our law enforcement partners, we're going to come out there and get you into custody."

The city's Public Works Department and transportation agency are working with the police department to ensure traffic cameras are recording at all times, Turner said. Currently, Houston TranStar cameras provide real-time footage but no recordings in an effort to prevent civil litigation against law enforcement. 

Turner said times have changed, and traffic cameras need to begin recording for the purposes of catching criminal acts. 

In an interview last week with Fox affiliate KRIV-TV, Grant's grandmother, Elaine Grant-Williams, said the family was hopeful she will pull through.

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"It's hard, but … there's no other way but to lean on God to pull her and bring her through this," she said.