Suspect in custody after woman found shot to death and 3 children beaten on Houston's south side

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A mother was shot to death and three children under the age of 11 were badly beaten in what was a violent night in the greater Houston area.

The shooting happened in the 5100 block of Enyart Street early Friday, but officers were initially called to a different area one block over on Cosby Street near Martin Luther King Boulevard on the south side.

According to HPD Asst. Chief Wyatt Martin, officers responded to Cosby for a man assaulting children in the street.

When police arrived, a man had climbed onto the roof of a house, while two children were found there on the road injured.

The eldest child told police her father had shot her mother, Martin said, adding that she directed officers to the Enyart scene.

Police went to a home on Enyart and not only found the front door open but a third child, a boy believed to be just 3 or 4 years old, who had blunt trauma injuries.

First responders took all three children to the hospital.

As authorities went through the rest of the house, they found a woman dead. She had been shot at least one time.

Friday night, relatives identified her as 32-year-old Christina Abner. She was the mother to the three children, ages, 11, 6 and 3. Abner just got a new job and was getting her life on track, family said.

"She loved her children dearly. She was a wonderful mother and sister who will be truly missed," one relative added.

"This time of year, unfortunately, we see a lot of domestic situations. [We] want everyone to know, if you know someone in a dangerous situation, please reach out," Martin said.

All three children were conscious when taken to the hospital, but the youngest child is in the most serious condition, Martin explained.

Officials said the suspect is 35-years-old. Abner's family identified him as Keith Marion Lee, her husband and the children's father.

Neighbors told ABC13 that they were aware of problems in the home.

Roderick Spradley lives directly across the street. He and another neighbor said they noticed a dramatic shift in the suspect's behavior over the last few months.

"He got more agitated, more aggressive, angry, saying he sees demons, just acting crazy," Spradley said.

According to the neighbors, they told police when they were out at the home in the past that sooner or later something bad was going to happen.

A neighbor shared a Ring doorbell video with ABC13 that shows two of the children injured, asking for help. The suspect can be seen on the roof of a house across the street in the background.

The neighbor said the children were badly beaten and had swollen eyes.

"This is something you don't want to hear or see at 1 o'clock in the morning," the woman, who asked to remain anonymous for safety, said. "You hear somebody screaming in the middle of the street and you think it's just somebody getting into it or something but it's actually a child fighting for her life trying to save her brothers due to him killing the mother."

She said she did what she could to help the kids and said the oldest girl was yelling that her brother was still inside the house.

HPD said they have responded to the home for disturbance calls three times in the last six months. The most recent call was on Dec. 5. A man was arrested in October when officers responded, but a spokesperson would not confirm that it was the same man involved in the shooting.

Sadly, this was not the only domestic violence-related incident overnight.

A murder suspect is on the run after deputies say he killed his girlfriend and took off with their 1-year-old child. The child is safe and with a family member.

If you're experiencing abuse, help is just a phone call away. You can call the Houston Area Women's Center for help at 713-528-2121. To connect to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, call 1-800-799-7233. You can text the word "START" to 88-7-88.