A man was arrested and charged with murder in an apparent case of mistaken identity that ended in tragedy on Christmas Day in Houston, Texas, police said.

The accused was identified as Jonathan Ross Mata, 39, who faces charges for the murder of Desmond Butler, 25 years old, according to the Houston Police Department.

They thought their daughter was in the wrong vehicle

According to the investigation, Mata and his wife received a phone call from their daughter, who told them she had been assaulted by her boyfriend. The couple then went to the parking lot of a gas station located in the 9900 block of Bellaire, where they waited for the young woman to be dropped off.

Around 1:00 am, the gray Honda Pilot driven by Butler entered the parking lot and passed Mata's black GMC, which was stopped at one of the pumps. At that moment, a woman got out of the GMC and began chasing the vehicle, trying to open the rear door, mistakenly believing that Mata's daughter was inside.

Shots fired and failed escape

As the woman tried to stop the vehicle, Mata got out of the GMC and fired at the Honda Pilot as it left the parking lot, according to police.

Butler tried to flee, but was hit by the gunfire and ended up crashing his vehicle into a pole in a nearby parking lot. After the shooting, the suspects returned to their pickup truck and fled north on a secondary road, authorities said. Butler was transported by paramedics to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. There was no relationship between the victim and the accused. Police said Mata and Butler did not know each other, which strengthens the theory that the crime resulted from a fatal case of mistaken identity. Mata surrendered to authorities on Wednesday and was booked into the Harris County Jail.where he faces legal proceedings for the homicide that occurred on Christmas.