Father shot dead by carjackers for having manual transmission

A father has been shot dead in front of his wife and one of his children after being carjacked – because the killer didn't know how to use manual transmission.

The incident happened just before midnight in the Greenbriar Place North area of Houston, Texas.

Pedro Aguilar, 47, was in his car on the street in front of an apartment complex when two men in their late teens or early 20s approached him with the intent to commit a carjacking, police said.

They weren't able to drive the car because it was manual transmission, not automatic. They shot the man in anger, police claimed.

Aguilar died at the scene. The two carjackers fled the area.

Aguilar had brought his wife and two children to the US from El Salvador two years ago, in the hope of escaping gang violence.

Almost every day Aguilar parked his car inside the complex car park, but on this occasion he opted for the street instead.