17-year-old girl is stabbed to death outside mall where she worked, Texas cops say

A 17-year-old girl was fatally stabbed outside the mall where she worked, and the search continues for the woman responsible, Texas police say.

The incident happened at 11:15 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, outside the Galleria shopping center in Houston, according to Houston Police Department Assistant Chief Wyatt Martin.

A sergeant working in the area was flagged down by a witness, who said two women had been fighting, “potentially over a bag,” Martin said in a news briefing. The sergeant called for help, but the 17-year-old victim was found and pronounced dead at the scene minutes later.

She was identified Tuesday as Kayla Stevenson, according to KTRK and KHOU. Police aid the 17-year-old lives in the area and was either walking to or from her job at the mall.

Stevenson was found on the sidewalk with multiple stab wounds in her upper body, Martin said.

Police said the initial call “came across as a robbery,” but officers have not confirmed the exact motive for the stabbing.

The woman accused of stabbing Stevenson fled the scene on a blue bicycle, but it was found nearby, Martin said Saturday. She is believed to be in her 20s or 30s and was wearing brown clothing when she fled.

Investigators were searching surveillance footage nearby in an attempt to identify the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to contact Houston police at 713-308-3600.

This story was originally published December 12, 2023 at 2:26 PM with the headline "17-year-old girl is stabbed to death outside mall where she worked, Texas cops say."