Photo Courtesy of Houston Police
An uber driver has been arrested for allegedly murdering Ronald Mouton, Sr., a Houston Pastor at East Bethel Missionary Baptist Church.
23-year-old Deshawn Longmire was charged with murder in the death of Ronald Mouton, Sr.
The incident occurred on June 24 when Longmire, an uber driver driving a black Honda sedan, was reportedly seen arguing with Mouton, driving his white BMW, at a red light.
According to KPRC, witnesses saw Longmire pull a pistol out of the driver’s window and shoot Mouton before driving off.
Surveillance footage showed the pastor crashing his car and dying on the scene.
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Ronald Mouton Sr. had been a pastor for over 30 years in the community. He leaves behind a wife, brother, four children and ten grandchildren.
Rev. Mouton’s family shared a statement regarding his death, and subsequent investigation, writing, “We are grateful for all the love and concern the community continues to express. The horrific loss of our beloved Rev. Dr. Ronald Mouton, Sr., is painful beyond words. We are still grief-stricken over this senseless tragedy. We want the man who took his life to understand the seriousness of his crime. He took the life of a husband, a father. Our confidence and hope is in the proficient work of the police. We also hope the work of the entire criminal justice system is done thoroughly and that justice is duly served. We understand the public interest in this case, but we are not ready to speak publicly. We have authorized our trusted family friend, Bishop James Dixon, to interact with the media on our family’s behalf. Thank you for respecting our need for privacy as we seek to heal from this traumatizing circumstance.”
Bishop James Dixon, a long-time friend of the pastor, said, “This is at least some relief, but they’re still going through. They’re asking the public for prayer and privacy. But for all of us, we’re hopeful that justice is done. The family wants justice to be done.”
On June 29, Longmire was taken into custody after running a red light. He has transported to Houston’s Police Department’s Homicide Division, where he was charged with the murder of Mouton.
He is being held at the Harris County Jail on a $500,000 bond.