Police believe the suspect in the fatal shooting of a renowned Houston cardiologist is a man whose mother died in surgery performed by the cardiologist 20 years ago, according to CNN.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said the mother of Joseph James Pappas was a patient of Mark Hausknecht, MD, a cardiologist at Houston Methodist Hospital who was shot dead July 20 while riding his bike to work. Mr. Pappas' mother died during a surgery that Dr. Hausknecht performed.
"It appears that this may be a 20-year-old grudge that this man held," Mr. Acevedo told CNN.
Police are searching for the 62-year-old suspect, who may be suicidal and should be considered armed. As of 8 a.m. Aug. 3 he was still on the loose.
"We believe that this man is absolutely the killer," the police chief said, according to the Houston Chronicle. "We need to find this guy. This man is dangerous, this man is capable, this man has some skills."
Dr. Hausknecht was biking to work during the morning rush hour when another man on a bicycle approached from behind and fired at least twice. The cardiologist went down immediately and was pronounced dead at Houston-based Ben Taub Hospital.
The fatal shooting baffled police for two weeks. Authorities, who pored over surveillance footage hundreds of times, pleaded with the public for any information to help them solve the case. On July 30, a tip came in that led police to Mr. Pappas.
As the manhunt drags on, several other details have come to light, making investigators more convinced Mr. Pappas "painstakingly planned" the daylight shooting.
Mr. Pappas, who worked in law enforcement for about 30 years, transferred the deed to his Houston home to a woman who lives in Ohio the day before the shooting.
Mr. Pappas told Janette Spencer, the Ohio woman he knew for 25 years, that he had a terminal illness and that's why he wanted to transfer his home to her, according to the report. A few days later, he texted Ms. Spencer to tell her he was committing suicide and gave her instructions on how to secure the house.
"Sorry for handling things this way," the text said, according to CNN. "House and property is now yours. Please make best use of it for you and [your daughter]."
Mr. Acevedo said evidence suggested Mr. Pappas put a lot of planning into the alleged crime, according to CNN.
Editor's Note: The article was updated Aug. 3 at 9:15 a.m. with additional information.