Dakari Lenear, 46, has been identified as the suspect in the shooting, which happened in the 9500 block of Walnut Glen Drive, just north of the Jersey Village area, on Wednesday around 5:15 p.m.
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Patricia Tatum, an aunt of the woman killed, identified her as 45-year-old Rhonda Lenear.
Precinct 4 deputies were the first to respond to reports of the shooting at the home, according to Sgt. Ben Beall with the Harris County Sheriff's Office Homicide Division.
When deputies arrived, they found Dakari in the open garage.
The man claimed that Rhonda attacked him and tried to stab him, so he shot her in self-defense, officials say.
Rhonda was found lying on the living room floor. She had been shot multiple times with a semi-automatic rifle, according to Precinct 4.
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She was pronounced dead inside the home.
When deputies got to the scene, they also found two teenagers at a neighbor's house across the street. The teens had called 911 saying their father had shot their mother, authorities said.
It appears that Dakari arrived at the home and then sent the teens, who are 15 and 13 years old, away before shooting and killing Rhonda, investigators said.
Dakari is in custody at the Harris County Jail.
The suspected shooter and Rhonda had been together for 20 years and were college sweethearts, Tatum said.
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The teenage children will be in the care of family members, she added.
Rhonda's murder is being investigated by the Harris County Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit.
If anyone has any information regarding the investigation, they are asked to contact the Homicide Unit at 713.274.9100.
GET HELP: 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.
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