Mother and teenage son shot to death in southeast Harris County, investigation underway, HCSO says

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Residents of the Riverstone Ranch subdivision in southeast Harris County woke up Tuesday morning to flashing lights, crime scene tape, and heartbreaking news.

A mother and her 17-year-old son were found shot inside their home shortly after 6:30 a.m., according to investigators. The mother was taken to the hospital, where she later died. The son was pronounced dead at the scene. An adult daughter who was also inside the home was not injured.

Authorities have not released the names of the victims, though neighbors know the family well. They have lived in the 9400 block of Windy Spring for several years.

Santiago Telavara said he had just seen the teenage victim the day before.

"When I found out it was my friend, I'd just been sitting there contemplating and processing," he said. "I was in court playing (basketball) last week, chatting, yesterday, we saw him and said what's up. It's crazy, he's just gone now."

"It's going to be weird not seeing him there all the time," Telavara added. "I would always see him outside with his friends and his sisters."

Several neighbors reported seeing a man walking through the neighborhood around the time of the shooting. That individual was taken in for questioning by the Harris County Sheriff's Department, but law enforcement sources cautioned that investigators have not connected him to the killings.

Instead, several law enforcement sources said they are currently leaning toward murder-suicide as the cause.

"We don't have any clear answers right now," Simon Macieo said as residents gathered near the scene. "What's really going on?"

Investigators spent much of the day processing the scene and interviewing residents. Law enforcement sources emphasized that the investigation remains in its early stages and warned against drawing quick conclusions.

What is clear, though, is that many neighbors are shocked by the violence.

"My sister-in-law was the first house built in this neighborhood, and we're the last house in this neighborhood," James McLaughlin, another long-time homeowner, said. "It's very quiet. Family-oriented. A lot of good family people, churchgoers on Sunday mornings."