GALENA PARK, Texas — Three teen girls, including one who was pregnant, were discovered fatally shot inside a home in a Houston suburb on Saturday, and the suspected gunman was also dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
The suspected gunman, 38, also sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. The girl fled the home with her 1-year-old niece, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Gonzalez said the man had been in a relationship with the girls’ mother, who owned the residence in the eastern Houston suburb of Galena Park, according to the newspaper.
Update: at approx 10:30pm, officers with Galena Park PD responded to a sexual assault of a child and a possible shooting. A 12-yr-old child reported she was sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend and he had shot other family members inside their house. The victim stated
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) February 19, 2023
1/3 https://t.co/f82dTY9UXe
master bedroom from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The victims’ mother was not home at the time of the shooting. The identity of the suspect and victims are being withheld pending positive identification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) February 19, 2023
3/3
The sheriff said that at about 10:30 p.m. CST, the man shot a 19-year-old girl, who was pregnant, during a “disturbance,” the Chronicle reported. He then shot the other two girls, ages 14 and 13, according to the newspaper.
“It’s just a tragic situation. It makes no sense, it’s all senseless and it’s very tragic,” Gonzalez told reporters during a news conference.
Family members told KHOU-TV family members identified the oldest girl as Sayuri Gill and the 13-year-old as Melany Torres. Gill was six months pregnant, according to the television station. The 1-year-old was Gill’s child, according to the television station.
Authorities have not confirmed the names of the victims or the gunman.
Authorities said the 38-year-old man was found dead in the master bedroom of the home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, KTRK-TV reported.
The 14-year-old girl took her niece to a neighbor’s home and the Galena Park Police Department was called, the Chronicle reported. Officers arrived at the residence and discovered the four bodies inside.
David Perez said he is the brother of the woman who owned the home, KPRC-TV reported. He said his 14-year-old niece was one of the victims, and that he is still trying to understand what happened.
“I’m broke. I don’t have words to say. I received a call last night and they told me my niece was shot,” Perez told the television station. “I just ran to this place. I didn’t see nothing, and I didn’t hear nothing. No one has said nothing to me. I’m just blank.”
The sheriff’s office will lead the investigation, Gonzalez said.
“Our investigators will try to put all the pieces together and our condolences go out to the victim’s families and everyone impacted by this and the entire city as well,” Gonzalez told reporters.
