Child unharmed after deputies find man dead, woman hurt after shooting at NW Houston apartment: HCSO

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said a young child was found unharmed after a shooting at a northwest Houston apartment complex that left one person dead on Monday morning.

Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff's Office responded to the N. Houston Rosslyn Road near Highway 249 just before 5 a.m., after someone called to conduct a welfare check on the occupants inside.

Inside one of the units, HCSO said deputies forced their way in and found a man and woman, both in their 30s, injured. The man was pronounced dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

HCSO said the woman had been hurt in some way, but it is unclear if she was shot. Sheriff Gonzalez said there was a hammer nearby, and the woman had suffered severe trauma to her head. She was taken to the hospital, where she underwent surgery. Officials said she is stable at this time.

Initially, HCSO said someone went to the apartment to check on the man and woman, who were said to be dating, and found the 6-year-old child looking out the window. The child is said to be the injured woman's daughter.

"As a father, I feel for the 6-year-old girl (who) had to crawl over a dead body," Gonzalez told the media at the scene.

HCSO said they are piecing together the scene. When asked the specifics by ABC13, officials said it appeared that the man notified someone that he had hurt the woman, leading to the welfare check.

"We understand the man and woman are in a dating relationship, previous calls for service, nothing for violence, just concerns for the well-being of the people there. It appears there may be some cases of people knowing trouble was brewing. From what it appears that the (man) shared with someone this morning that he couldn't deal with the fact that she was going to leave him," Gonzalez said.

Officials said it is unclear if the man and woman lived together, but HCSO said it appeared the man was at the apartment frequently.

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