Police Release Sketch Of Suspect In Killing Of George H.W. Bush's Heart Doctor
Houston police have released a sketch of the suspect who allegedly shot and killed a renowned heart doctor who had treated former President George H.W. Bush.
Bizarrely, both the victim, Dr. Mark Hausknecht, and the suspect, who is at large, were riding bikes when the murder occurred.
The seemingly random attack came while the doctor was riding his bicycle to work at Houston Methodist Hospital through Texas Medical Center.
The shooting of Hausknecht took place before 9 a.m. in Houston, said Executive Assistant Police Chief Troy Finner.
Hausknecht, 65, was cycling northbound through the 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."
A private ambulance passing by pulled over to help Hauskenect and an EMT said they rendered aid to the best of their ability, but the doctor was unconscious.
The cardiologist died.
"This is a crime that doesn't make sense," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said on Saturday. "We don't even have a motive yet."
But now, authorities have released a sketch of the suspect that they hope will help in finding him.
The drawing depicts a clean-shaven man who is about 30 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a slender build.
He was wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, gray warmup jacket and khaki shorts the morning of the shooting, according to eyewitnesses. The man rode a light-colored mountain bicycle.
Finner has said investigators didn't know if the broad daylight shooting was targeted, random or caused by road rage.
Dr. 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.
"Mark was a fantastic cardiologist and a good man. I will always be grateful for his exceptional, compassionate care," Bush noted.
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.
The ex-President's wife Barbara passed away in April at age 92.
Hausknecht's wife, Georgia Hsieh, mourned her husband in a statement on Saturday in which she also pressed for "sensible gun laws."
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