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Suspect arrested in road rage death of Houston dad shot on Westheimer

Police said Kevin Kirk was shot and killed earlier this month after ATVs and dirt bikes surrounded his vehicle and tried to pull him out.

HOUSTON — Houston Police have arrested a suspect in the road rage shooting death of a man who was picking up dinner for his family on Westheimer. 

Lazarius Harper, 26, is charged with killing Kevin Kirk on Aug. 13. He remains in jail on a $500,000 bond.

According to court documents, Harper was out on a PR bond for evading arrest when Kirk was shot.

Police said a group of ATVs and dirt bikes surrounded the victim's vehicle and tried to pull him out. 

Kirk, 48, drove away from the shooting scene in the 9000 block of Westheimer but crashed a few blocks away. He'd been shot in the leg and was pronounced dead at the scene.

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RELATED: Victim shot after group on ATVs, dirt bikes surrounded his car

HPD told KHOU 11 News reporter Grace White that the motive was road rage.

“This is a father of two young kids going to grab dinner that gets gunned down on Westheimer. This is not how we are going to live, and we are not going to allow these things to happen," CEO of Crime Stoppers Rania Mankarious said at an earlier news conference. 

Cheryl Draper was driving down Westheimer the night Kirk was killed.

"This is not a normal way for people to have to live -- that you go to the grocery store or you are going out to dinner and something happens and you are dead," Draper said. "It's just like cold-blooded murder; didn't even hesitate. Pulled out a gun and shot someone."

Detectives didn't have much to go on when the crime happened, but they canvassed the area in search of surveillance video.

Kirk is survived by his wife, a 12-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son.

"Kevin was an extraordinary man who baked amazing birthday cakes and was an Ironman Athlete and avid cyclist. He was also a protector of all life, including bugs," a gofundme.com page said.

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