A Texas man has been charged with capital murder after a 5-year-old girl was shot dead in a roadway shooting in northwest Harris County.

Jeremy Porter, 47, was arrested within 24 hours of the September 19 shooting on Grant Road near Jones Road. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced the arrest on September 21.

The victim, Zah’Layah, 5, was riding with her mother Monica Hicks and four siblings. Hicks was driving home from her mother’s house when gunfire struck the car around 11:30 p.m. She did not realize her daughter was hit until she pulled into her apartment. The child died at a hospital.

Investigators used Flock automated license plate reader cameras to track a white pickup to Porter’s home. Court records say Porter admitted firing five shots. He told detectives he thought someone in Hicks’ vehicle had fired at him.

Hicks disputes the road rage label. She told local reporters she had not cut anyone off or exchanged words with another driver. Authorities say the motive remains under investigation.