Man shoots and kills Woodlands firefighter during altercation in Montgomery County, deputies say

MONTGOMERY, Texas (KTRK) -- Deputies say an argument led to the fatal shooting of a firefighter.

According to Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, the incident happened in the 28000 block of Denn Court. When authorities arrived to the scene, they found the victim, Nicholas Daniel, dead, and the suspect, who is also the homeowner.

Deputies say both men were at a party earlier Saturday evening before the confrontation occurred.

According to the suspect, Daniel allegedly came to his residence to confront him about an issue involving text messages that were sent. Prior to the incident, the suspect also said he was contacted by someone who told him that Daniel was on the way to his house and that he needed to lock his doors.

The homeowner told authorities he felt threatened and was outside when he heard Daniel's truck approaching the residence.

The homeowner said he observed Daniel open the front door of the residence while looking for him. The homeowner then allegedly came from behind his house and both men got into a physical altercation.

Deputies say the man shot Daniel several times with a handgun.

During the investigation of the shooting, detectives learned that Daniel was employed with The Woodlands Fire Department. The shooting is still under investigation, and will be presented to the grand jury for charges.

One of Daniel's daughters, Alaina Baumel, released the following statement:

My dad was the definition of a good person. Yes, he messed up sometimes, but so do we all. My dad was the man who would literally drop everything to help you. He was selfless and always wanting to help someone and always wanting to challenge himself. My dad was strong and gentle (that's why his hugs were the best). My dad has been a firefighter since 2000, originally starting out at Lake Conroe Fire Department and then went to The Woodlands Fire Department about three years ago. That alone says how much of a great guy he was. He was the one running into the fires and saving people as others were running away, even after having very large debris from a house fire fall on him, which seriously injured him. My father was someone to be proud of and my sister and I will miss him everyday and think of him everyday. I pray that no one goes through this type of pain and I pray we get justice for my father. I will not stop until he gets justice. He deserves that, not bullets.