Shot At and Missed

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The victim was a 35 year old housewife whose husband was several years older and who was known worldwide for chemicals used in solving some world class problems. They lived in a beautiful estate on a large acreage of mountainous land near a bedroom community and not too far from a major central Texas city.

The victim said she was returning from a shopping trip and noticed a vehicle parked in her driveway. She could see the vehicle from quite a distance away and increased speed because no one was supposed to be at her house. As she neared the other vehicle two suspects ran out of the house with plastic bags filled with loot and one of them raised his hand and she saw her own nickel plated handgun in it. The young suspect fired two shots at her which caused her to brake and let the two suspects escape down the narrow road. The victim wasn't sure whether the suspect was a bad shot or if he really wasn't trying to hit her.

I spent more time with this victim to get a likeness than I had ever spent before or have spent since. It was obvious to the Sheriff's Office that the suspects came from the nearby major city and the appearance of the one depicted in the composite is so generic that there was little chance of an identification. The lady who had been shot at wanted to pursue every avenue available to her and the composite seemed the most likely line of investigation to pay off. I worked on the drawing, making changes until the paper almost had holes in places, The gun had so concentrated the victim's attention that she didn't have a clue as to what the second suspect looked like. Finally she decided it was a near photographic likeness. I think what disturbed the victim most was being shot at with her own gun.

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