Houston Businessman Adds to Reward as 9-Year-Old Clings to Life After Shooting

The reward for information in a shooting that left a 9-year-old girl in Houston hospitalized has increased to $30,000 after a donation from Texas businessman and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.

The $25,000 donation by Fertitta was announced Monday in a press conference with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston Police Chief Troy Finner. The men also gave an update on the condition of Ashanti Grant, who was shot in a road rage incident last week, according to KTRK-TV in Houston.

Grant was in the car with family members around 9 p.m. last Tuesday, when her family said she was in the backseat watching cartoons. A white GMC Denali then allegedly cut off the family's car multiple times. Grant's uncle, Kevin, who was in the car and spoke at the Monday press conference, said he noticed when it happened and pointed it out to Grant's father, who was driving, according to KHOU-TV.

"He was racing us or something," he said. "First thing I told my brother [Ashanti's father] was, 'That dude's crazy. Let's get away from him.' Because I know we got kids in the car."

The family said the driver of the car appeared to be an Hispanic man between 20 to 30 years old, and said there may have been a female passenger in the truck.

After Grant's father let the truck pass, the driver made his way behind the family's vehicle and the driver or the passenger began to fire a gun at them, the family said.

Grant was struck by one of the bullets, and has been hospitalized since the incident. She had surgery immediately after and has been in a medically-induced coma, although family members told local media that doctors said the swelling around her brain has reduced recently, which is a positive sign.

"Her young life has been altered forever by a cowardly act and, I underscore that, by someone, a criminal, driving on our streets and freeways, thinking he or she is above the law," Turner said at the press conference. "And, quite frankly, acting with a callous disregard for human life."

Family members, Turner and Finner requested that if the person who shot Grant does not come forward, anyone with information about the incident should contact the department or Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

"Crime Stoppers of Houston has 30,000 reasons why somebody should call and report what they know about the suspect that did this," a Crime Stoppers representative told KTRK. "If you have a soul, you would call. But if you're driven by money, we've got it."

Update 2/14/22, 6:05 p.m.: This story has been updated with additional information and context.