The fatal shooting of a renowned Houston Methodist Hospital cardiologist in a high-traffic area has left police perplexed and authorities are now offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Mark Hausknecht, MD, a cardiologist at Houston Methodist who once treated President George H.W. Bush, was shot to death while riding his bike to work around 8:50 a.m. July 20. It is still unclear if the killing was random or targeted. Police are still seeking the gunman.
"The suspect was on a bicycle as well, rode past the doctor, turned and fired two shots. The doctor went down immediately," said Troy Finner, executive assistant for the Houston Police Department.
The Houston Police Department released images from the surveillance cameras after the incident and released a sketch of the suspect, described as a clean-shaven, 5-foot-10 white or Hispanic man with a slender build. He is about 30 years old, police said. He was last seen wearing a gray warm-up jacket, khaki shorts, a tan baseball cap and sunglasses. What stood out about the gunman, according to police, was an olive-green backpack weighing him down. Police later described it as "fully loaded."
Police are looking for additional surveillance footage that could determine how long the physician was being followed by the gunman. Surveillance footage shows the gunman followed the Dr. Hausknecht for at least several blocks before firing a shot, according to The Washington Post.
The shooting, which occured in a heavily conjested area, has left police purplexed. The gunman is still on the loose and police reportedly have no promising leads, according to The Post.
Dr. Hausknecht earned his medical degree from Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine in 1980. He biked to work every day, according to those who knew him.
"We will all miss seeing Mark in the hallways and seeing patients in the cath lab and [coronary care unit], where he was known as a compassionate physician with a phenomenal bedside manner," Houston Methodist President Marc Boom, MD, told the Chronicle. "Our employees who worked with him said patients were so proud to call him their doctor."
Editor's Note: This article was updated July 25 at 9:20 a.m. with additional information about the incident.