Police say Brenda Reyna was not the intended target when she was shot multiple times while she slept in her bedroom.
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Reyna, 63, was always caring for someone, her brother told ABC13. If it wasn't her own family, it was her students at Jefferson Elementary School.
Reyna worked with special needs children. But hours before the school day began, Reyna was shot to death in her bedroom.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Grandmother killed in N. Houston shooting
Neighbors say grandma shot 5 or 6 times in N. Houston
The shooting happened just before 3 a.m. on East Sunnyside Street at Silvercrest.
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A neighbor told reporter Courtney Fischer he rushed to help Reyna when he heard the shots from his living room across the street.
Police said it was a drive-by shooting and nearly a dozen shots were fired from a rifle. Investigators say Reyna was not the intended target.
Five other family members were at the home, including her adult son, who detectives say is a known gang member, and two young grandchildren.
Reyna's family is too emotional to talk but they gathered down the street to console each other. Someone left roses on Reyna's SUV. Her sons returned to the house as they struggle to make sense of what happened.
Police have surveillance video of the car involved in the shooting but they say it's too dark. They are unable to see the make, model or even color of the vehicle.
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Reyna worked at HISD's Jefferson Elementary for 16 years. The district released a statement about her death this morning:
"We are sad to report that a Jefferson Elementary teaching assistant was killed Monday morning. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of this employee, as well as to the entire Jefferson Elementary School community."
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