A respected travel guru was gunned down on a quiet Houston street while on her way to visit a friend who is battling cancer.
Marietta Allison, 61, an Austin-based co-founder of a travel company and known among friends for her generosity, was fatally shot after parking along in the Heights neighborhood late on Friday, authorities said.
She had just dropped off a close friend and luggage after a long day at a hospital and was circling for parking when a masked carjacker confronted her.
Police responding around midnight found Allison lying on a northwest Houston sidewalk with an apparent gunshot wound. She was rushed to a hospital, where she died.
Prosecutors allege the gunman, identified as 18-year-old Darius DeWayne Hall, attempted to snatch Allison’s purse.
When she fought back, he pulled a gun and shot her once in the neck, according to statements made in court by prosecutor Katie Rogers.
Hall then fled in the vehicle belonging to Allison’s friend.