A man fatally shot three teenagers before sexually attacking a 12-year-old girl at a home in suburban Houston overnight, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas said Sunday.
The suspect was found in the master bedroom of the home in Galena Park, dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, Sheriff Ed Gonzelez said.
Responding officers found the other victims, ages 13, 14, and 19, dead inside the residence, he said.
Galena Park city officers were dispatched around 10:30 p.m. Saturday after reports of gunfire and the claim of sexual assault by the 12-year-old, Gonzalez said.
The sheriff praised the girl for having the wits to grab the uninjured 1-year-old and flee to a neighbor’s residence, the sheriff said.
The girl was nude at the time, NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston reported.
“When she ran out, she was able to think about it, thankfully, and was able to grab the 1-year-old,” Gonzalez said.
The 12-year-old was taken to a hospital for treatment, he said.
Authorities at the scene told KPRC the 19-year-old victim was pregnant. Her fetus was not counted among the dead.
The sheriff said an argument broke out between the suspect and at least one of the teenagers before gunfire erupted. One of the teen victims was not a member of the household but was visiting, KPRC reported.
The suspect may have already been angry over someone saying hello to his girlfriend, the mother of two of the victims, sheriff’s officials and a family member told the station.
The woman had briefly left the home when the violence happened, KPRC reported.
Identities of the deceased, including the suspect, were unavailable.
Kurt Chirbas and Courtney Brogle contributed.
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