Georgia Hsieh, the wife of renowned cardiologist Mark Hausknecht, says she is struggling to understand why someone would want to kill her husband.
Hausknecht, who treated former President George H.W. Bush, was fatally shot by another cyclist last week as he rode his bike to work, Houston police said.
The cardiologist would spent his free time taking care of his home’s front yard, cooking and was used to be in bed by 9 p.m., Hsieh says.
Hausknecht was last seen alive dressed in his blue scrubs as he pedaled his yellow bike to the Houston Methodist Hospital on Friday.
Hsieh says police has told her that her husband was riding through a construction area when the gunman rode up in front of him and fired three shots, while facing him.
A manhunt is underway for the gunman but it is still not clear if the shooting was targeted, random or the result of road rage.
As a emergency medicine doctor, Hsieh says she has seen firsthand what guns can do. But she never imagined someone she loved would become a victim of gun violence.
Hausknecht spent his career “saving and prolonging the lives of others,” Hsieh said in a statement.
She resisted the suggestion that her husband’s death was senseless, calling it a “trite” way to characterize the scourge of gun violence. What is senseless, she said, “is the misguided notion that any society with more guns is a safer society.”
“So many have asked what can be done to help. While law enforcement has given you their focus on finding the criminal, I am asking you to use your vote and your voice to stem the tide of this growing public health epidemic,” she said in a statement.
She urged people to contact their elected officials and ask them to support “sensible” gun laws.
“We owe it to future generations to leave a safer environment,” she said. “Mark loved this city. To honor him — work hard, be responsible, patient, tolerant and compassionate.”
Houston police released an artist’s sketch and surveillance images of the suspect and are seeking the public’s help.
