A man was shot in a parking lot. He tried to drive away. He crashed into a pole and died in his car.

Now an 18-year-old is charged with capital murder. Houston police say he tried to rob the man.

The Houston Police Department named him as Diego Gene Torres. Police say he is 18. He was booked into the Harris County Jail. His case is in the 248th Criminal District Court.

Capital murder is the most serious crime in Texas. It can mean life in prison with no chance of parole. It can also mean the death penalty. That is the law for anyone 18 or older.

HPD's news release does not say if prosecutors will seek death.

It all started early Sunday morning, Sept. 27. Officers got a call about 1:20 a.m. Someone was down in the 10100 block of Mesa Drive. That is in northeast Houston.

Officers found a man in the driver seat of his car. He was not awake. His car had hit a pole. Police say he had been shot more than once.

Paramedics said he was dead at the scene.

Police have not released his name. They said the medical examiner must tell his family first. That office is the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

So how did it happen? Detectives looked at surveillance video. The video showed the shooting did not happen where the car crashed. It happened in a parking lot in the 9900 block of Mesa Drive.

Police say the man and the suspect's car met in that lot. Then, police say, the suspect tried to rob him.

There was a struggle. Police say the man was shot during the struggle. He tried to drive away.

His car hit a pole in the 10100 block of Mesa Drive. That is where officers found him.

Detectives got a description of the suspect's car. They kept looking for it. Patrol officers helped them.

Officers from the Southeast Patrol Division joined the search. So did the Patrol Support Team. They found the car. Torres was behind the wheel. Officers held him.

Police say Torres then talked to detectives. HPD said he "admitted to his role in the fatal shooting."

That is what police say. Torres has not had his day in court.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office took the case. Prosecutors signed off on the capital murder charge.

Why capital murder and not plain murder? In Texas, a killing during a robbery or a try at one can be charged as capital murder. Police say this shooting came during a robbery try. That is the charge prosecutors chose.

What about bail? HPD's news release did not list a bond amount. In Texas, a judge can deny bail in a capital case. The judge must find that the proof is strong.

HPD also released a booking photo of Torres.

Police did not say if Torres had a lawyer. They did not say if he and the man knew each other. They did not say what, if anything, was taken.

Houston police want to hear from anyone who knows more. You can call the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

Everyone is presumed innocent until proved otherwise.