HOUSTON – The wife of a man killed during a violent carjacking in southwest Houston says she’s still waiting for answers — and for justice — nearly a week after her husband was shot and later died at the hospital.
Noel Venero Lopez was a father, a husband, and a recent U.S. resident who had spent his life working to support his family.
On May 30, Lopez was shot during an attempted carjacking near the intersection of Wilcrest and the Southwest Freeway. Police say he managed to drive away from the scene before crashing into a pole at a nearby Shell gas station.
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He was taken to the hospital but didn’t survive.
His wife, Milay Mora Vazquez, told KPRC 2 she sensed something was wrong hours before the news came.
“I spent the day with a lot of anguish,” she said. “Then I got the call… they told me he’d been shot. I thought I would find him at the hospital. I never imagined I’d come home with that kind of news.”
What led up to the shooting
According to investigators, the incident began when a stolen Dodge Charger ran a red light and crashed into a Toyota Prius near West Bellfort and the Southwest Freeway.
The driver of the Charger ran from the scene and attempted to steal another car nearby.
Police say that’s when multiple shots were fired. The driver of that second car was later identified as Lopez.
Despite being wounded, he continued driving and ended up crashing into a gas station pole on the other side of the freeway. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.
Moments after the shooting, police say a third vehicle — a gray Audi — was stolen. Investigators later used tracking technology to locate that car in Corpus Christi, where officers arrested 20-year-old Alexis Garcia in a nearby field. He remains in custody in Corpus Christi.
Garcia has been charged with aggravated assault, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and unlawful carrying of a weapon.
As of Tuesday, no one has been charged in connection with Lopez’s death.
A family in mourning, waiting for answers
Vazquez says the silence has only made her grief harder to bear.
“Everyone trusts the U.S. judicial system,” she said. “Now, I have my doubts. What are they waiting for? What more do they need?”
She also says she hasn’t heard back from the lead detective on the case — despite repeated attempts to reach out.
“I wrote to him. No one has responded,” she said. “They haven’t given me his car. They haven’t given me his things. Nothing.”
Lopez, originally from Cuba, came to the U.S. just three years ago and had recently become a legal resident. His wife says he had worked for nearly 30 years as a bus driver back home and had started driving for Lyft and Uber in Houston.
The couple had just been approved to launch a rideshare business together.
“We had plans. We were building a life here,” Vazquez said. “Now I’m planning his funeral.”
The couple had a 19-year-old son together. Vazquez says her husband was deeply devoted to his family — a proud father who was excited to see his son graduate from college one day.
That day will now come without him.
Lopez will be cremated. His ashes will remain with the family in Houston.
What happens next
KPRC 2 reached out to the Houston Police Department, who confirmed the investigation into Lopez’s death is still active. They have not confirmed the identity of the suspect who fired the shot that killed him.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has also not filed any additional charges in connection with the shooting as of this publication.
Vazquez says she’s still hoping for justice — and closure — as she prepares to lay her husband to rest.
