Police say there’s a “high probability” a Houston cardiologist who once treated former President George H.W. Bush was deliberately targeted for assassination when he was fatally shot while riding his bicycle to work.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo did not offer additional information on the investigation in a tweet on Thursday.
Dr. Mark Hausknecht was shot to death while riding his bicycle to work Friday morning at the Texas Medical Center. Police have said the shooter rode past Hausknecht, then turned around and opened fire.
An autopsy shows Hausknecht was shot three times — on the head, the torso, and the left upper extremity.
Nearly a week after he died, friends and family are remembering the beloved doctor.
“He was very, very humble. He was not a flashy guy. He didn’t have to trumpet his own expertise,” said Dr. Milton Klein, a friend and colleague.
Klein explained that the two have been friends for 30 years, and that in addition to being a renewed cardiologist, Hausknecht also enjoyed the outdoors.
A memorial service for Hausknecht is scheduled for Saturday at 10a.m.
Acevedo said at a news conference Wednesday that investigators are still trying to determine a motive in the case.
Critics have suggested that this case seems very suspicious… and that there is more to the story. Who would want to assassinate a former president’s cardiologist?
Hausknecht treated Bush for an irregular heartbeat in February 2000.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.