Houston hit-and-runs: Of thousands of cases, 20% are investigated, even fewer are solved, data shows

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — It’s not uncommon to hear about hit-and-runs on the streets of Houston — three have happened in Harris County this week alone.

One happened around 1 a.m. Sunday on Westheimer near Dairy Ashford. A second happened around 4 a.m. Tuesday on Gulf Bank Road, which police now believe may have been intentional. The third happened overnight in the 400 block of Hill Road in northeast Harris County. All of the incidents were fatal.

“It makes me sad that it happened like this. No explanation. No answers,” Laura Crawford said.

SEE ALSO: Man unloading trailer killed by hit-and-run driver in Aldine area, deputies say

Crawford recalls the death of his father, Tommy Crawford, 62. Houston police said he was walking along Cullen Boulevard on May 13 when a gray minivan struck him and sped away.

“Something like that, there’s no real conclusion,” Crawford said.

His father’s case is one of thousands that remain unsolved.

“Hundreds and hundreds of hit and runs. I mean, I know it’s a very populated place, but it just seems unreal,” Crawford said.

According to data from the Houston Police Department, 26,880 hit-and-run cases were opened in 2023. Yet, only 1,166 were assigned to an investigator and only 310 were solved, meaning an investigator sent the case to the district attorney’s office.

This year’s numbers are slightly different. The number of hit-and-runs is about the same, with 10,609 cases occurring between January 1 and May 31. So far, 2,056 cases have been referred to investigators, about 1,000 more than in the same period in 2023. However, the clearance rate is about the same, with 125 cases presented to the district attorney so far.

Of those thousands of hit-and-runs, 51 people died in 2023. And this year is shaping up to be even deadlier, with 22 deaths in the first five months.

“When you’re in a metropolitan area, you see cameras everywhere, so you might think that someone, somewhere, knows something,” Crawford said.

Although more cases were referred to detectives this year, the vast majority of them were not investigated.

SEE ALSO: Couple arrested after fatally running over pedestrian in separate cars, fleeing, HCSO says

In the case of Crawford’s father, there is a $5,000 reward available through the Crime Stoppers program. Crawford said she understands that people may be scared and not know what to do in an emergency, but she is still asking whoever did this to come forward.

“The pain you must feel knowing that you didn’t turn around and see if he was okay, and you didn’t help him. I can’t imagine the pain you must feel. I don’t know if there’s forgiveness in people who say they made a mistake,” Crawford said.

An HPD spokesperson said hit-and-runs often happen at night and there is no video or poor quality video, making the cases difficult to investigate. HPD said if it is safe to do so, take a photo of the person involved, including the license plate, and remain at the scene until emergency crews arrive.

HPD also notes that the majority of hit-and-runs are fender-benders. It encourages hit-and-run victims to try to remember every detail, such as the make, model and bumper stickers of the car involved. No detail is too small.

Anyone with information about Crawford’s fatal hit-and-run or any other incident is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers.

For more news, follow Lileana Pearson on Facebook, X and Instagram.