A Houston doctor who was riding his bicycle to work in the Texas Medical Center on Friday morning was gunned down by another cyclist who passed him, turned and fired two shots, and then rode off. The fatal shooting of Dr. Mark Hausknecht, a cardiologist who once treated former President George H.W. Bush, stunned the city's tight-knit medical community and left investigators trying to determine whether the daylight shooting was random or targeted. A spokesman for Bush said the former president was saddened by Hausknecht's death and sent his condolences to the doctor's family, his colleagues at Houston Methodist hospital and his friends. "Mark was a fantastic cardiologist and a good man," Bush said in a statement. "I will always be grateful for his exceptional, compassionate care. His family is in our prayers." Hausknecht, 65, was shot around 8:50 a.m. in the 6600 block of Main Street. He died at Ben Taub Hospital. The doctor was traveling northbound on Main Street at the intersection with Holcombe Boulevard when the gunman passed him, Houston police said. Two blocks later, the gunman turned around on his mountain bike and fired at least two shots at Hausknecht, who immediately went down, as the shooter kept riding north. The suspect remained at large Friday evening, police said. He was described as a clean-shaven white or Hispanic male, about 30 years old, who was wearing a gray warmup jacket, khaki shorts, a tan baseball cap and sunglasses. Police said he is about 5 feet 10 inches tall with a slender build. Homicide detectives were reviewing surveillance video from businesses in the area to find video of the gunman. "There are a lot of cameras, so we're hoping we can get some footage of this and bring this violent criminal into custody, where he needs to be right away," said Executive Assistant Chief Troy Finner of the Houston Police Department. The slaying stunned colleagues in the medical center, where Hausknecht had admitting privileges at Houston Methodist and Memorial Hermann hospitals. Dr. Marc Boom, president of Methodist, delivered the news to hospital employees in an email early Friday afternoon. He wrote that Hausknecht's patients "appreciated his kind bedside manner and the extra time he took to answer their questions and fully explain their condition and treatment." "We will all miss seeing Mark in the hallways and seeing patients in the cath lab and (coronary care unit), where he was known as a compassionate physician with a phenomenal bedside manner," wrote Boom. "Our employees who worked with him said patients were so proud to call him their doctor." Hausknecht received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in 1980 and did his residency and fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. In 2000, he appeared at a news conference at Methodist with Bush after the 41st president was treated for an irregular heartbeat. He had been transferred from a Florida hospital. Memorial Hermann also issued a statement, which said Hausknecht was "a talented, compassionate physician who provided excellent care to our patients, and he was a cherished friend to so many within the close-knit medical community that is the Texas Medical Center. During this difficult time, our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with Dr. Hausknecht's loved ones, his patients and his colleagues." Hausknecht, a leader with Houston Cardiovascular Associates, had been in practice in Houston since 1987. He was an interventional cardiologist, a specialty that treats cardiovascular disease and congenital and structural heart conditions through catheter-based procedures, such as angioplasty and stenting. Dr. Neal Kleiman, who worked closely with Hausknecht as medical director of the cath lab at the DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center at Methodist, said colleagues at Methodist were in shock Friday. He called the act "devastating, such a random act of violence taking away someone you know and love." He said he couldn't imagine anyone carrying a grudge against Hausknecht. "He was quiet, thoughtful, gentle," said Kleiman. "I shared patients with him, and they all loved and admired him." Hausknecht biked to work every day, said Kleiman. He said Hausknecht took exceptional care of himself and found biking to work relaxing. At a street removed from the shooting, nurses and doctors in scrubs and white coats walked, biked and hopped off the rail to get to work on Fannin Street, a reminder of how populated the area is with foot traffic. Miguel Fraire, who does contract work at the medical center, said that an illusion of safety might exist in the area. "Do I think it's safe around here?" asked Fraire. "I think for the most part. But you'd be surprised." A spokesperson for the Texas Medical Center declined to answer questions about the center's security accommodations, saying they were not the best source to answer them. Homicide detectives asked residents near Southgate Boulevard at Travis Street to check surveillance cameras for the period between 8:40 a.m. and 9 a.m. Friday and to contact HPD Homicide if they saw the suspect. The suspected gunman was last seen on a light-colored mountain bicycle traveling west on Southgate Boulevard. Reports of the shooting prompted a brief shelter-in-place order at the BioScience Research Collaborative at Rice University early Friday. The news was just starting to hit employees at Houston Methodist in the early afternoon. Panetta Grice, a patient care assistant at the hospital, said that while the Texas Medical Center area appears to be safe, the shooting is an unfortunate reminder of how important it is to be mindful of your surroundings, no matter where you are. "I haven't digested it," Grice said. "Who would dream you'd have to go through something like that? It's just too hard to take." Victoria Cheyne contributed to this report. samantha.ketterer@chron.com todd.ackerman@chron.com twitter.com/chronmed<doc-sep>EMBED >More News Videos President George H.W. Bush remembers Dr. Mark Hausknecht. Statement by President @GeorgeHWBush on the tragic death of Houston cardiologist Dr. Mark Hausknecht. pic.twitter.com/Wl0g6IK3c5 — Jim McGrath (@jgm41) July 20, 2018 HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As police comb the area near the Texas Medical Center for a murder suspect, one of the district's prominent hospitals identified the victim killed Friday by a gunman on a bike as a prominent cardiologist.Cardiologist Dr. Mark Hausknecht was shot and killed while riding his bicycle to work in the mid-morning hours, Houston Methodist confirmed in a statement. "Mark was a leader in the Houston Cardiovascular Associates and specialized in cardiovascular disease," said Houston Methodist, which added that Hausknecht was part of the DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center.The rest of the statement read:Hausknecht was the victim of the shooting on South Main near Holcombe around 8:50 a.m. Police say that the suspect on a bicycle fatally shot the doctor and then fled the scene.Hausknecht was a private doctor who worked at Methodist Hospital and Memorial Hermann Hospital.The suspect was described as a white or Hispanic man wearing a dark jacket. Police said the suspect had a tan baseball cap, sunglasses and was clean shaven.The Houston Police Department is currently searching the area for the suspect.Former President George H.W. Bush offered his condolences in a statement. "Mark was a fantastic cardiologist and a good man," Bush 41 said. "I will always be grateful for his exceptional, compassionate care. His family is in our prayers. "A former patient set up a memorial in remembrance of Hausknecht on Saturday morning. He said that Hausknecht was the sweetest person he had known. "It's sad. It's very sad. We need gun control, that's crazy. We cannot have this," a former patient said.HPD homicide unit is investigating the scene.<doc-sep>
Kids learn what to do if gunman comes to school TINLEY PARK, IL - OCTOBER 18: Pistols are offered for sale at Freddie Bear Sports on October 18, 2012 in Tinley Park, Illinois. Facing a $267.5 million fiscal 2013 budget gap, Cook County, which includes the City of Chicago and suburbs, has proposed a tax of 5 cents per bullet and $25 on each firearm sold at gun and sporting goods stores in the county. Fred Lutger, who has owned Freddie Bear Sports for 35 years, is concerned with the impact the tax will have on his store which is located about 2 miles inside the Cook County line. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Former President George Bush, center, waves as he leaves with cardiologist Mark Hausknecht, left, and Bush's family doctor Ben Orman, right, after a news conference at Methodist Hospital Friday, Feb. 25, 2000 in Houston. Bush spent Thursday night in a Florida hospital and was released Friday after being treated for atrial fibrillation. He returned to Houston Friday and was admitted to Methodist Hospital for further tests. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) (CNN) — A cardiologist who treated former President George H.W. Bush was killed Friday morning in a bicycle-to-bicycle drive-by shooting near Texas Medical Center in Houston, authorities said. Dr. Mark Hausknecht and the shooter were both riding bikes on South Main Street, near Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, shortly before 9 a.m. local time, Executive Assistant Police Chief Troy Finner said at a news conference. Hausknecht, 65, was biking north when he passed the shooter going in the other direction, Finner said. The shooter turned, fired two shots at Hausknecht and rode away on his bike, Finner said. Hausknecht was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Finner said. Finner said investigators didn’t know if the shooting was targeted, random or caused by road rage. He said a few people witnessed the shooting and video may become available. In an updated description, the suspect is said to be a white or Hispanic male, about 30 years old, wearing a tan baseball cap, gray warmup jacket, khaki shorts and riding a light-colored mountain bike bicycle. Jim McGrath, spokesman for the 94-year-old former President, issued this statement: “President George HW Bush was deeply saddened by the tragic circumstances surrounding the untimely passing of Dr. Mark Hausknecht, and 41 sends his most sincere condolences to the Hausknecht family, his colleagues at Houston Methodist, and his friends.” “Mark was a fantastic cardiologist and a good man,” President Bush said in the statement. “I will always be grateful for his exceptional, compassionate care. His family is in our prayers.” In a statement, Houston Methodist Hospital said: “I’m very sorry to inform you that Dr. Mark Hausknecht, a cardiologist who was an important member of the Houston Methodist staff and the DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, was tragically shot and killed this morning while riding his bicycle to work. Mark was a leader in the Houston Cardiovascular Associates and specialized in cardiovascular disease. He received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and completed his residency and fellowship at The John Hopkins Hospital. He is a longtime Houston Methodist-affiliated physician and has been in practice for almost four decades.” The shooting prompted authorities to urge people inside the Bioscience Research Collaborative Center to shelter in place, CNN affiliate KTRK reported. CNN’s Jamie Gangel and Jamiel Lynch contributed to this report.