'He was a great guy': Friends react to Thanksgiving shooting that killed 2 people in Spring Branch

Granado's ex-wife was among the people killed in the quadruple shooting on Baggett Lane in the Spring Branch area, HPD said.

Miya Shay Image
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Victim killed in Spring Branch home shooting identified
As police offer the first look at a Thanksgiving quadruple shooting suspect, one of the man's alleged victims is being mourned.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As friends and family are grieving the senseless murder of two people, investigators are offering a first look at the man accused of barging into a Spring Branch home on Thanksgiving night and killing them.

Yonetsy Montiel Granado's booking photo was released on Monday, three days after shots were fired inside the northwest Houston home, where a 15-year-old boy and a second man were also hit and injured.

The 38-year-old suspect is accused of killing his ex-wife, Yusleidy Gonzalez, and the homeowner, Eric Van Uchelen. Granado took off after the killings and later turned himself in to authorities in San Antonio the next day.

ORIGINAL STORY: 2 dead, 2 injured after woman's ex-husband fires shots at home in Spring Branch on Thanksgiving

"I'm just blown away. I don't even know what to say," Dennis Laviage, Van Uchelen's decadeslong friend, said.

Van Uchelen owned a commercial glass business and often sold products to Laviage's scrap metal business. The men met up just days ago.

"We were together about 10 days ago. He was at my office, and we were talking and, I was talking about my retirement, and he was talking to me about what was going on his life. I never expected (his death)," Laviage said.

Laviage described Gonzalez and Van Uchelen as being in a dating relationship, though family members say they are trying to sort out exactly who were all at the dinner. Child Protective Services confirmed that Gonzalez's 4-year-old daughter was not hurt during the shooting. She is now in foster care,

"He was happy. He was getting ready for Thanksgiving vacations," Laviage said. "This is wild."

The other victims' relationships with the suspect were still unclear, as of Monday. Police believe this was an isolated domestic incident and there's no threat to the public.

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