A 90-year-old Navy veteran was killed in front of his apartment complex by an unknown assailant who shot the man, stole his vehicle, and ran over the elderly man in Houston on Saturday. Police say they have yet to locate the assailant but found the man’s vehicle abandoned at another apartment complex several miles away. A search for the killer is currently underway.
Police in Houston say the incident occurred during the early afternoon at the Lonestar Senior Living Apartments, where the Navy veteran and former salesman Nelson Beckett had lived for several years. A report by KPRC2 News described services at the deceased man’s church on Sunday began somberly as friends and family learned of the crime.
This is 90 yo Nelson Beckett. He was killed yesterday during a carjacking. A Navy vet who loved his growing family per his daughter. She says, “He was the kindest, funniest man you’d ever meet. He loved meeting people and greeted them all with jokes. To him, everyone had value. pic.twitter.com/3PuORy3RTF
— Abigail Dye (@AbigailDyeNews) September 1, 2024
According to KPRC2, Steve Sandifer, a friend of Beckett for 47 years, says the manner of death is what was most disturbing. “I told his daughter, I said, you know, had she called me that morning and said dad didn’t wake up this morning, I would have said, good. He’s lived his 90 years. He’s been a champion of faith and everything else. He’s lived a great life. But to hear that he had been murdered, that was just beyond me,” Sandifer told KPRC 2 Reporter Corley Peel.
Sandifer described the Navy veteran as a natural caretaker who drove neighbors to doctor’s appointments and gave others rides to church. Beckett was a widower who had been married to his wife for 69 years at the time of her passing.
According to ABC 13, as part of the initial investigation, police say the suspect, believed to be between 25 and 35 years old, acted alone. After reviewing the surveillance video, police said a young man approached Beckett just before 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The victim and suspect appeared to be speaking to each other before the suspect began to assault the 90-year-old. Authorities say the suspect then shot Beckett before getting into the victim’s car and driving over him as he departed the scene.
Fox 26 Houston published the following statement from Beckett’s daughter, Tami Freund:
He served in the Navy, not during an active war. He was the kindest, funniest man you’d ever meet. He loved meeting people and greeted them all with jokes and his famous business card, which said “my card.” He loved to make someone laugh and brighten their day. To him, everyone had value. He spent his days driving people to places who did not have a car. Driving them to doctors’ appointments, FEMA, rehab, stores, etc., wherever they needed to go. He even would drive some friends from a halfway house to panhandle and take them to church on Sundays. He even baptized several of them. He would do anything for anyone. He told me (his daughter) all the time how lucky we are to have such a big, wonderful, loving, Christian family. He loved big and loved his family so much!
Police have yet to announce any leads in the investigation and are asking anyone with information to contact Houston Police Department’s homicide unit at 713-308-3600.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
