The shooting happened Saturday night in the 2000 block of 2nd Street on Saturday night, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
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According to deputies, Valdez-Saldana was dating his current girlfriend for about two years. She was not home at the time when officials say he killed two of her daughters, one of their friends, and, sexually assaulted her 12-year-old daughter who managed to escape with her 1-year-old niece. Valdez-Saldana then turned the gun on himself, police said.
We don't know the details of what led up to the shooting, but a family friend identified two of the victims as 19-year-old Sayuri Gil, who was six months pregnant, and 13-year-old Melany Torres. They were the older sisters of the 12-year-old, and Sayuri was the mother of a 1-year old. Both of them survived.
Below is a photo the family shared of Sayuri.
Below is a photo of Melany.
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The third victim was identified by her family as 14-year-old Laisha Perez, who lived in the neighborhood.
After the shooting, deputies said the man sexually assaulted the 12-year-old before telling her to run away. She was able to grab her 1-year-old niece and run to a nearby house without any clothes to seek help, according to the sheriff's office.
A neighbor's Ring camera captured the girl running for her life, and that's when they called Galena Park police.
Another neighbor who wanted to stay anonymous says she helped wrap the 12-year-old and baby in blankets.
"We grabbed her because she was without clothes and carrying a baby in her arms and said, 'My stepdad killed my sisters,'" the woman said. "My husband was going toward the house, and I said, 'No'. We grabbed her, brought her inside. We put blankets on her, and wrapped the baby. She was screaming, 'He killed my friend. Why my friend? She had nothing to do with this. He also killed my sister and made me take off my clothes.'"
The suspect ended up shooting and killing himself by the time authorities arrived.
ABC13 spoke with Valdez-Saldana's ex-wife, who said they were married for 16 years and had four children together. According to his ex-wife, he was not in their lives and had not paid child support. She said they stopped talking after he started using drugs and alcohol, but is shocked of what deputies say happened.
Investigators have not shared any details about the motive but believe it had to do with jealousy.
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The family says the teenagers were happy and positive young ladies.
"They were happy girls. They were always smiling. Even when I was feeling bad, they always had a positive comment. Always. Both of them," Suzanna Villa Franca, a family friend, said.
Friends also expressed their gratitude to the neighbors who helped the girl and baby who survived.
Villa Franca said the man was nice and they were shocked to learn what happened. The suspect has not been publicly identified by investigators.
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to go toward the victims' funeral services. Any money left over will go towards helping the 12-year-old receive therapy.