George H.W. Bush's Heart Doctor Is Killed In Bizarre Drive-By Shooting
Former President George H.W. Bush's heart doctor was reportedly shot and killed as he rode his bicycle in Houston, Texas.
As CNN noted, authorities said the cardiologist, Dr. Mark Hausknecht, died on Friday morning after an as-yet-unknown shooter, who was also riding a bike, fired on him near Texas Medical Center.
The bizarre bicycle-to-bicycle shooting took place before 9 a.m. in Houston, said Executive Assistant Police Chief Troy Finner.
Hausknecht, 65, was cycling northbound through the Texas Medical Center, and Finner told reporters, "The suspect was on a bicycle as well. Rode past the doctor, turned and fired two shots. The doctor immediately went down."
The heart doctor was hit at least once and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died.
Houston Methodist Hospital's CEO reportedly told staffers that Hausknecht was on his way to work there when he was shot.
Finner said investigators didn't know if the broad daylight shooting was targeted, random or caused by road rage. He added that a few people witnessed the shooting but video may become available.
Police have released a description of the suspect, said to be a white or Hispanic male, about 30 years old, wearing a tan baseball cap, gray warmup jacket, khaki shorts and riding a light-colored mountain bike bicycle.
Hausknecht treated Bush in February 2000 for an irregular heartbeat after the ex-President complained about lightheadedness while visiting Florida.
After hearing the news of his cardiologist's death, the former President, now 94, said in a statement through his rep that he was "deeply saddened by the tragic circumstances surrounding the untimely passing of Dr. Mark Hausknecht, and 41 sends his most sincere condolences to the Hausknecht family, his colleagues at Houston Methodist, and his friends.
"Mark was a fantastic cardiologist and a good man. I will always be grateful for his exceptional, compassionate care."
Bush was hospitalized earlier this year just a month after his beloved wife Barbara's funeral.
He reportedly experienced low blood pressure and fatigue while in Maine.
Barbara passed away in April at age 92 and the ex-President has looked fragile ever since.
Bush has suffered various health woes in recent years.
Wife Barbara decided earlier this year not to seek further medical treatment for congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She died not long after that announcement.
Bush's doctor Hausknecht, who died on July 20, had been in medical practice for almost 40 years.
The area where the shooting took place is part of a 1,345-acre complex of hospitals and medical institutions, including the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and is busy with traffic and pedestrians during the day.
Hausknecht's murder brings back bad memories of the death of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen, 64, who was allegedly shot by a random stranger on a bicycle in Beverly Hills in 2010.
The suspect in Chasen's death, Harold Martin Smith, killed himself that same year.
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