Man arrested after wife killed, her 2 kids shot in Katy-area domestic dispute, deputies say
KATY, Texas (KTRK) -- A Katy-area mother is dead and her two children are injured after a shooting and SWAT scene overnight.
Harris County sheriff's deputies responded to an active shooting at a home in the 2700 block of Roaring Oaks Lane around 8:50 p.m. Thursday.
When deputies arrived, they found a woman dead from a gunshot wound outside.
The suspected shooter barricaded himself inside and threatened to take his own life, deputies said. That's when the SWAT standoff began.
The suspect, identified as Lawrence Reed, eventually surrendered to Harris County Sheriff's Office SWAT officers.
His wife, Valerie Junius, was identified as the woman shot and killed.
Deputies say the motive for the shooting appeared to be an ongoing domestic disturbance between the couple.
Junius' two children, a 16-year-old boy and a 20-year-old woman, were both also struck by bullets. Deputies say they are recovering at the hospital.
ABC13 spoke to a next door neighbor who called 911.
"The kids came running outside when I heard the gunshots the first time and I told my friend I would call her back," neighbor, Candis Jackson recalled. "That's when they started running outside and saying, 'He shot my mom. He shot her.' I called 911 and I heard multiple, more shots go off."
Investigators say their team acted quickly to get the suspect in handcuffs.
"Our hostage negotiators did an awesome job in talking to the suspect for about 25, 30 minutes," Chief Deputy Edison Toquica said. "They talked him out of the house and he is in custody at this time."
Reed was arrested and charged with murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
He is being held at the Harris County Jail.
GET HELP: If you need help getting out of a domestic violence situation, call the Houston Area Women's Center 24/7 hotline at 713-528-2121 or call AVDA at 713-224-9911. You can also click here to chat with an advocate online. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and need help, call 713-528-3625.
