A 20-year-old University of North Texas student has died hours after she was shot in the head while driving in Denton, police say.[[363981071,C]]
Sara Mutschlechner, of Martindale, Texas, was taken off life support Friday evening at Denton Regional Medical Center, police said.
The University of North Texas' Greek Life Center was a sea of candlelight Saturday evening as hundreds gathered to remember Mutschlechner. She was a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.
"It goes to show that she was who she was and she wasn't afraid to be herself," said Jordan Roberts, Sara's sorority sister. "
She lived with joy and laughed with grace and didn't care what other people thought. She was happy. And we all should be a little more like that."
Denton police said they responded to a call about a gunshot victim in the 1700 block of North Elm Street at 2:06 a.m. Friday and found the female victim on the ground near a sedan that had crashed into an electrical pole.
Witnesses told police Mutschlechner was in the driver's seat of the sedan with three adult passengers when a black Lexus SUV drove up next to them. Words were exchanged between the occupants of the vehicles.
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As both vehicles began to drive through the intersection at West University Drive, police said someone in the SUV fired multiple gunshots at the sedan, striking Mutschlechner in the head. The sedan ran into another vehicle and crashed into the electrical pole.
The occupants in the SUV drove away.
In a written statement, police said Sunday investigators had some leads and felt good with the current direction of the investigation, according to Shan Kizer, Denton police spokesman.
"Our investigators have been working around the clock to identify the suspect(s) who committed this heinous act," Kizer said in the statement.
Police said witnesses told them Mutschlechner was driving because she was the designated driver and had not been drinking.
One passenger was also taken to Denton Regional Medical Center where she was treated and released, according to police. Another passenger in the sedan suffered minor injuries from the crash.
Denton Police DepartmentDenton police said they are looking for the SUV that was occupied by five or six black men.
Witnesses said at least two of them were at a New Year’s Eve party (invitation pictured left) on Crisoforo Drive before the incident.
Police asked anyone with information about the shooting, the SUV occupants or the party to contact Investigator Eric Beckwith at 940-349-7974 or eric.beckwith@cityofdenton.com.
