And now, a woman who had a restraining order against him questions whether this violent allegation could have been avoided.
"I'm hoping it's not just a slap on the wrist," the woman said.
ABC13 agreed to conceal her identity because she is concerned about her family's safety.
The woman just found out her ex-partner, Phillip Kemp, has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault and mass shooting.
Records show she was granted a lifetime restraining order against him back in 2019.
Police said Kemp violated that order by sending her a threatening text message in 2025, but records show he was never taken into custody.
Police said he left a threatening note for another former girlfriend, and, late Wednesday afternoon, showed up and shot into a car with her new partner and three children near the West Loop and Westheimer Road. Police said no one was hurt, but a judge gave a disturbing account.
"They tried to evade in a motor vehicle from you. They allege you chased after them, shooting at all four of them while they tried to escape the area," the judge said. "The other three individuals in the car were juveniles of the ages, 8, 3, and at least 8 months old."
His ex-girlfriend questioned whether the alleged shooting could have been avoided.
Houston police didn't have an answer for why Kemp wasn't arrested after allegedly violating his protective order last year.
"If everything wouldn't be so brushed off and I had somebody to actually listen and take the text message seriously, then it wouldn't have been today. It would have been nipped in the bud," she said.
She urged victims to keep pushing for help.
"I got to the point where I felt like it would disappoint me and make me angrier the more I tried, and I didn't get no help," she said. "I gave up."
If you need help getting out of a domestic violence situation, call the Houston Area Women's Center 24/7 hotline at 713-528-2121 or call AVDA at 713-224-9911. You can also click here to chat with an advocate online. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and need help, call 713-528-3625.