The Texas gunman who killed six people was out to murder more family members, police said -- and it was his own daughter who stopped him from causing even more carnage.
The 15-year-old was allegedly shot by her father, but managed to tell police who the gunman was before she was rushed via helicopter to a hospital, where she is in critical condition, according to authorities. She is the lone survivor of Wednesday's bloody rampage at a home in Spring, Texas.
4 Kids Among 6 Dead in Texas Home Shooting
The teen managed to dial 911 after she was shot - telling police that her father shot four of her siblings ages 4 to 13 and two adults before fleeing the house to try to kill her grandparents.
"She was able to provide us the name of the person who shot them, where he was going next," Constable Ron Hickman said during a press conference late Wednesday.
Police called the girl their "only clue" in finding the shooter, identified as Stephen Stay, 39, who is now in custody. She also placed the 911 call that alerted police of the shooting, which happened late afternoon in a quiet neighborhood in the Houston area.
His victims were all family members. Four of them were his own children, two boys ages 4 and 13 and two girls ages 7 and 9. Some of the children were adopted, police said.
The suspect is estranged from his wife, the children's mother, who was out of state at the time of the shootings, police added.
The children were being cared by two other family members -- a 33-year-old woman and 39-year-old male, who were also killed. They were husband and wife, but it was not immediately clear how they were related to the suspect or the children.
The alleged gunman, who was caught after an hours-long stand-off with police, was out for even more blood.
"The grandparents were also targets," another police offer said at the press conference. "Fortunately, they were brought out of the house before that happened."
Detectives will interview the suspect, who surrendered after very intense hostage negotiations, to learn more about what triggered a man to murder his family.
No comments:
Post a Comment