Man charged after woman's body found in Kingwood home with 2 children hiding in closet, police say
KINGWOOD, Texas (KTRK) -- Byron Keith Hall is accused of killing a woman in a Kingwood home and firing shots at responding officers on Sunday, according to police.
The 29-year-old is charged in Taylor Jewell Ben's murder after the Houston Police Department found her body in a home and two children were hiding in a closet.
Hall surrendered himself outside the home at 3702 Babbling Creek Drive.
"It appeared that (Hall) was waiting outside in an ambush-style, waiting for the officers to arrive to shoot at them," HPD Asst. Chief Jessica Anderson said. "The officer's vehicle sustained approximately seven shots. The officers reported it was of multiple calibers. We found pistols and short-barreled rifles on the scene."
No officers were hurt, and according to HPD, none returned fire.
READ MORE: Suspect arrested after allegedly shooting, killing woman and firing at police in Kingwood, HPD says
Evidence from the gunfire marred the side of the two-story home on Monday, which neighbors say was rented just two months ago.
Dean Camino is a neighbor who heard the gunfire Sunday afternoon. He has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years.
He told Eyewitness News that he heard two rounds of gunfire, noting that the second round sounded as if it were with a semi-automatic rifle.
"I heard some gunshots. I didn't know if it was somebody shooting firecrackers or what," Camino said. "(It's) Pretty crazy because nothing ever happens like this here."
Hall has yet to appear before a judge, but already prosecutors have asked for bond conditions that would keep him away from the victim's family, a witness to the crime, and the house on Babbling Creek Drive.
Christian Jorgensen lived around the corner and heard the gunfire. He later realized it happened at a home his family rented for four years.
"Next thing you know, a couple of gunshots go off, and then ten gunshots go off, and I was like, 'That's got to be something pretty serious.'" Jorgensen said. "That was pretty shocking. I actually figured out this morning it was a house we used to live in by my parents right here. It was pretty sad, you know."
Court records reveal Hall got deferred adjudication for assaulting a public servant in 2017 and was charged with indecent exposure last year.
Now, he faces charges of murder, aggravated assault of a family member, and aggravated assault of a public servant. He's in jail and scheduled to be in court on Wednesday, May 29.
