A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl was shot dead after a gunman opened fire on a family car as they drove out of a Walmart parking lot today.

A car driven by the mum and with four girls inside – aged seven to 15 - was leaving a Walmart store near Wallisville and the Beltway, in Texas, around 7am when a man in a red pickup truck started shooting.

The unknown shooter fled and is still at large.

Police said he is “armed and dangerous.”

The mum drove south on the Beltway and then made a U-turn and stopped. She called 911.

When police arrived, the seven-year-old girl was dead.

The mum, who was shot once in the arm, was taken to Ben Taub Hospital where she is being interviewed by deputies.

Major Jesse Razo said the girls who survived are "shaken and devastated as they have lost a sister”.

He added: “Especially during this holiday season it’s tough.”

Another young child in the vehicle was injured by glass fragments.

Maj Razo said: “We are going to use all resources available to bring this killer to justice."

In a direct message to the shooter, he said: "I urge you, whoever did this, you know who you are. Please turn yourself in now.

“We will be looking for you. We will locate you. We will find you."

Investigators are working to determine the cause of the shooting.

The suspect was described as a white man in his 40s, with a beard. He was wearing a red hoodie.