Man shot and killed in apartment while family was in next room, HPD says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man was shot and killed as his common-law wife was inside an apartment with their 2-year-old daughter in east Houston, police say.

Officers arrived at about 2:30 a.m. to the Timber Ridge Apartments off I-10 at Federal, where they say they found 24-year-old Juan Ruffin with gunshot wounds and lying face down in the living room. Ruffin died.

The woman, who told police she was the victim's common-law wife, said she was inside the apartment at the time of the shooting with the child and claims she came face-to-face with the masked intruder.

According to an initial statement the woman gave police, she said she was breastfeeding the toddler when she heard commotion in the apartment.

When she saw the intruder, she barricaded herself inside the bathroom with the child.

After the suspect left, the woman drove to a family member's house, but later returned to the scene, where police had already arrived.

She is now one of two people being questioned in the case.

"Upon our initial investigation and walking the scene, it appears we found some narcotics. We don't know if the narcotics are directly related or involved, but there was narcotics and some money and other things found in the house," said HPD Detective Kyle Heaverlo.

Investigators don't have a suspect description, and it's still unclear if there were any signs of forced entry.

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