9-year-old heard gunshot that killed her aunt in apparent murder-suicide in apartment, sheriff says

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Two women were found with gunshot wounds at an apartment complex in north Harris County after Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said one of them called deputies saying she accidentally shot a woman and was then going to kill herself.

Precinct 4 deputies said they were called by woman about 25 years of age at about 7:10 a.m. Friday to the 14300 block of Ella Boulevard.

In an update from Sgt. Dennis Wolfford, the woman told a dispatcher that she and her partner had gotten into a fight over a gun. She said the weapon went off, causing her to accidentally shoot her partner in the head.

While on the phone with the dispatcher, the woman said she could not live with killing her partner. That's when a gunshot was heard, according to Wolfford.

When deputies arrived, they said they found the two women with gunshot wounds.

The victim's 9-year-old niece was also inside the apartment when the shooting occurred, according to authorities. They said the child had left the apartment just before the second gunshot.

It is unclear if the girl witnessed either shooting.

One woman was confirmed dead at The Venti apartment complex. The second woman was confirmed dead later at a hospital, Gonzalez said.

After an investigation, the shooting is not believed to have been an accident, according to Wolfford. The child told deputies she heard the suspect admit that she wanted to murder her partner and then herself.

The girl is cooperating with authorities in the investigation. She was visiting her aunt from New Orleans and had been here about a week, deputies said.