Grief counselors at Alief ISD school after teacher killed

SUGAR LAND, Texas (KTRK) -- Domestic violence led to the death of an Alief ISD teacher Saturday night, according to police.

Officers with the Sugar Land Police Department responded to reports of a shooting in the 1100 block of Oxford Mills Lane in New Territory at about 9:50 p.m.

"Out of nowhere, just four very distinct gunshots is what I heard, and it was quite scary at the moment, so I dropped everything I was doing, came outside," Tony Thomas, a neighbor, said.

When officers arrived, they found a 29-year-old woman dead in the backyard with multiple gunshot wounds.

The victim was later identified as Wendy Duan, a third-grade reading/language arts teacher at Boone Elementary School.

"We'd talk to each other, and she told me she's a teacher, so not much too much conversation, but she seemed like a nice girl; we would see each other on and off sometimes," another neighbor, Sandy Thomas, said.

Investigators believe the shooting is domestic violence-related and have identified a man as a suspect, though they are not sharing the nature of the relationship between the pair.

Alief ISD tells ABC13 that Duan has been with the district since 2017, writing: "We are deeply saddened to learn about the tragic passing of Alief ISD employee Wendy Duan. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family during this difficult time."

Counselors were brought to the Boone Elementary on Monday following the shooting Saturday.