Christmas at a home on Bobby Burns at Howton featured a big family gathering of close to 75 people, according to the Houston Police Department.
But when the celebration was over, things took a tragic turn.
"It's very, very sad because I just got through talking to him and all his family was out here having a good time, and some tragedy like this happens," neighbor Gregory Brooks said.
According to police, it all started when 37-year-old Ronalee Deandre McGuire and his fiancee began to argue around 2:30am in a detached apartment behind the house.
"He gets out of bed; he was having an argument with his fiancee, and a black male enters and shoots him," HPD Sgt. Mark Holbrook said.
McGuire was pronounced dead when officers arrived. Police said his fiancee and the shooter both left the scene.
"The entire family is just amazing people, and it's a tragedy right now that this happened on Christmas," family friend Herbert Journet said.
Inside the bedroom during the shooting, were four kids between the ages of eight and 13.
"Two of them are his children; two of them are his nephews," Holbrook said.
"Very sad, especially for that baby just out here crying; very sad, saying somebody killed his daddy," neighbor Vickie said.
"He takes care of his kids, and he was a good person. He was a good person," Brooks said. " I don't know why somebody would want to take his life like that."
Detectives want to talk to McGuire's girlfriend and a young man who left the home just before police arrived; police are not calling them suspects.
"They've been dating for a while had a relatively stable relationship, we don't know how much she's involved in all of this but she did leave the scene right after it happened," Holbrook said.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts can call HPD Homicide at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
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