A tragic hit-and-run crash in east Harris County on the evening of Friday, February 20, 2026, claimed the life of 57-year-old Rayford Howard, a man who was simply walking home from the grocery store to his nearby apartment.
The incident occurred around 8:00 p.m. in the 12800 block of Woodforest Boulevard, near its intersection with Normandy Street. According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Howard was attempting to cross the boulevard, heading northbound from a store toward his apartment complex, when he was struck by a speeding white Ram pickup truck traveling eastbound.
The driver of the pickup truck failed to stop and render aid, instead fleeing the scene immediately following the collision. The impact proved fatal, and Howard was pronounced deceased at the location by emergency responders. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office Vehicular Crimes Division, along with District 3 patrol officers, launched an investigation to identify the suspect and locate the vehicle involved.
Authorities successfully identified the suspect as 17-year-old Benjamin Lira, who was subsequently arrested and charged with failure to stop and render aid, a felony offense in Texas when the collision results in death. The white Ram pickup truck involved in the fatal strike was also recovered by investigators. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez publicly confirmed the arrest and the charges via social media, noting that the case highlighted ongoing efforts to hold hit-and-run drivers accountable.
Court records revealed a deeply troubling detail about the young suspect’s legal standing at the time of the crash. Lira was already out on bond for a prior driving while intoxicated (DWI) charge from Harris County, and his involvement in this fatal hit-and-run placed him in violation of that bond. The fact that a teenager allegedly involved in a deadly crash was previously accused of impaired driving compounds the tragedy and raises serious questions about recidivism and accountability.
Rayford Howard, 57, lost his life during a routine walk in his own neighborhood, a journey he had likely made countless times before. His death underscores the persistent dangers pedestrians face on high-speed urban corridors like Woodforest Boulevard, particularly when drivers engage in reckless behavior such as speeding or fleeing the scene of a collision.
Lira now faces the legal consequences of his alleged actions, including the new charge and potential ramifications for violating his prior bond, as the community mourns a life cut short by senseless violence and the family of Rayford Howard grapples with an unimaginable and preventable loss.