Amanda Palmer, the victim's sister-in-law, said, "It's crazy. I don't even know... I don't know how to explain it? Why would someone do something like that?"
Palmer says just 20 minutes after leaving a home in southeast Houston with her baby, the unthinkable happened. Three armed men kicked the back door in while her brother-in-law and pregnant sister were inside.
Ramon Cervantes with HPD said, "She heard the commotion going on. She heard the arguing going on and the shattering of glass and the demands being made -- 'Give me the stuff' or something to that effect."
Houston police say the suspects demanded Michael Hernandez, 27, to "give me the stuff." When he didn't comply, they say, he was shot once in the torso with a shotgun and died.
The victim had two daughters. His youngest is celebrating her birthday today. Neighbors say this kind of news is always tough. Around Christmas, it's even tougher.
Neighbor Randy Kinney said, "These kids are going to have Christmas without their father. They're going to be burying the father instead of celebrating Christmas."
Police describe the suspects as three Hispanic males who fled the scene in a white Chevy Impala. They also tell us they have put nearby hospitals on alert because they have reason to believe one of the suspects may have gotten injured during the struggle with the victim.
Find Karla on Facebook at ABC13KarlaBarguiarena or on Twitter at @KarlaABC13
Take ABC13 with you!
Download our free apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices
