HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Eyewitness News learned Monday that the woman killed when a Montgomery County chase suspect caused a crash at a north Houston bus stop along the North Freeway was a 61-year-old mother.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences identified the victim who died near West Road last Wednesday afternoon as Carrie Mitchell.
Mitchell’s identification came on the same day Joseph Jebbia, the man accused of hitting another vehicle that slammed into Mitchell amid a high-speed pursuit, appeared in the 174th District Court for murder and aggravated kidnapping charges. He was also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and body armor.
Carrie Mitchell was identified as the woman who died at a bus stop on Aug. 7, 2024, in north Houston. Authorities said Joseph Jebbia caused the crash that killed Mitchell.
Courtesy: Mitchell family
Jebbia is behind bars at the Harris County Jail on bonds totaling $1.2 million.
“It hit me hard,” Keandra Bogan, Mitchell’s daughter, told ABC13.
According to law enforcement, Montgomery County deputies attempted to pull the 43-year-old Jebbia over for outstanding warrants when he took off on Interstate 45. Jebbia, in a red Chevy Tahoe, ran a red light and hit a white vehicle, causing it to go up on the curb and onto Mitchell.
“The coroner kept saying, ‘Carrie Mitchell,’ and I thought, ‘There’s a lot of Carrie Mitchells out there. That’s not my mother,'” Bogan said.
Bogan asked the medical examiner’s office if the woman was found with a clear blue backpack, something her mom always carries.
The answer, unfortunately, was yes.
“I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. She always stays to herself, and for her to be caught in a high-speed chase,” Bogan said in disbelief.
Authorities said Jebbia kept going after killing Mitchell, hit a Montgomery County deputy, and eventually stopped in the Willowbrook area, where he surrendered.
ABC13 spoke with the driver whom Jebbia hit on his way home. The driver, who wished to remain anonymous, said he wasn’t aware that the impact hit the woman seconds after the crash. The driver was disappointed to hear that authorities had called Jebbia a “career criminal.”
“He was involved in some bad stuff, and unfortunately, innocent people had to pay for it,” the man said.
SEE MORE: ‘Career criminal’ arrested in N. Houston chase that killed 61-year-old woman now charged with murder
Bogan told Eyewitness News that she questioned the decision to go after Jebbia in such a high-traffic area.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said it fell within their chase policy, which states:
“Commissioned members of this Sheriff’s Office are expected to make reasonable efforts to apprehend violators who attempt to elude detention or arrest. A deputy or a supervisor can use their own discretion to terminate a pursuit at any time.”
However, Bogan said they knew Jebbia and wondered why they couldn’t have caught up with him farther away.
She said as she looks into whether to take legal action, she’s trying to be strong.
“I’ve been managing because I go to church faithfully, and my church has been praying for me,” Bogan said.
Faith is something Mitchell had in abundance, according to Bogan.
She said her mother was a light and often expressed herself through music.
And according to Bogan, her vegetarian diet was a big part of who she was, too.
“I knew she was just going to live to be 100 because she was a health nut,” Bogan said.
Tragically, Bogan’s prophecy didn’t come true.
When asked if she resents Jebbia for that, she said, “I was angry at first, but because my grandmother and mother raised me up right in church, I forgive him.”
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