It's been almost two months since a woman was shot and killed in a road rage incident in Hurst. Paola Nunez Linares' family is desperate for any tips that could lead to an arrest and is offering up $10,000 of their own money for information.
"Dealing with the fact that the guy who did this, or the guys, who did this are just out and about living their lives, it's very frustrating," said Zane Jones, Paola's husband.
Jones told Hurst Police they were driving northbound on Loop 820 on their way to work at 9:30 p.m. when they were involved in a road rage incident with another driver on July 11.
"I know somebody knows," said Jones. "People were on the road, they saw. Maybe they didn't get any valuable information, but they saw. People in that person's life know about it, and if they don't they will because it doesn't stay in one person's brain forever, they tell someone."
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He said they've set up a Facebook page called, 'My Name Was Paola' and will share stories about his wife in order to bring attention to who she was and hopefully garner information that leads to an arrest.
"Living alone after living with her, it's still hard," reflected Jones as he chocked up thinking about his wife who described as 'awesome.'
He hasn't been back to work since the incident and is also going to therapy to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD.
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"I'm trying to deal with the loss, and also the trauma, and PTSD. I've ever had it before, I've never understood it and now that it's happening, it allows for a lot of empathy for people that I could have never understood," explained Jones who said loud noises can send him into a panic attack as it reminds him of the sound of the bullets hitting their car.
Jones went on to say driving has also been challenging because anytime someone pulls up to his left side, he puts his arm up reactively to protect his head, in the fear that someone is shooting.
While he tries to remain hopeful about finding the person who took his wife's life, he's also aware that it's a challenging investigation. He didn't get a good description, the road was dark and there were not many cameras in that area.
"I can't make my recovery about that, because it might never happened and I can't just live in this damaged comatose state until something happens that might never happen," said Jones about finding the suspected shooter. "I want him found, I have a lot of strong things to say that I won't say on the news, but you I would give anything I had to have this guy found, or guys."
In July, Jones said they were behind a slow car in the right lane when they used the left lane to pass. As they were driving, he said that's when another car drove up on their bumper.
"As I was passing that car, another car behind me sped up, going like 90 mph, and was like on my bumper. So I completed the pass, moved over to the right lane and the other car sped up to me and almost like crashed into my car, got very close and then backed away. And I flipped them off," said Jones in his original interview with NBC. "She [his wife] always told me not to flip people off because you never know."
He said he thought the person was also flipping him off, but now realized it was a gun.
"He slowed down a little bit and shot through the back left window into the back of her head, and I didn't know that she'd been hit in the back of the head at all. She ducked, I thought, and I ducked too, and I said, 'Get out, stay down, I'm getting off.' He shot again and it went through my headrest, through the windshield," explained Jones last month.
His wife was shot in the head and later died.
Admittedly, Jones said he reflects on that night and plays in his head the "what ifs." Like what if his wife hadn't asked to stop to give a homeless person something to eat, or if they would have left later, or if he didn't make a hand gesture? He said none of it the guessing would bring his wife back.
Jones said his family's priority is finding the person who pulled the trigger.
A spokesperson for Hurst Police said this is a top-priority case. When asked if there was a bullet casing or any other clues to help with the investigation, they said they don't want to discuss any evidence that they currently have and if there is an arrest they would put out a press release.
