Ex-boyfriend sought after woman shot and killed through apartment window in SE Houston, police say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A woman was shot and killed in front of two small children in southeast Houston overnight in what appears to be another case of deadly domestic violence in the city.

Now, an intense search is on for the woman's ex-boyfriend-who is believed to be the father of one of the children.

SEE ALSO: "Take it seriously:" Family of woman murdered by ex-husband raise domestic violence awareness

Det. Jason Campbell with Houston police said 27-year-old Richard Hemphill is being called a suspect but has not been charged yet because investigators want to talk to him.

Police said Hemphill is on the run after taking off from the Wesley Square Apartments in the 7400 block of Calhoun Road near the South Loop.

Officers with HPD's Southeast Patrol Unit responded to the apartment complex just after 4 a.m. Thursday.

One neighbor said she heard loud noises before police arrived.

"We heard the shots at 4 this morning," Evelyn Cross said. "We heard, pow, pow, pow, then we heard BOOM!"

When officers arrived, they found a woman who had been shot multiple times in the back inside one of the apartments.

Officers rendered aid, and medics rushed her to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Investigators said the woman was in the apartment with her sister, her current boyfriend, his relative, and two young children.

The woman's ex-boyfriend showed up, and the two got into an argument, HPD said.

"There was an argument, altercation, that trickled into the apartment," Campbell said. "The suspect tried to force entry into the apartment."

That's when the ex-boyfriend went to the parking lot and reportedly got a gun from his car.

Police said he went to the woman's window and began firing at her from outside.

"Through the outside window, he began to shoot into the apartment, and she was struck with a bullet," Lt. Ignacio Izaguirre said.

RELATED: Man questions system after ex-wife's killing 'at which point did the system fail her'

Investigators believe the shooter fired four to five rounds.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom," Kendrick Lane, another neighbor, said, recalling what woke him up early Thursday morning. "I rolled out of my bed and laid flat on the floor, and then I got up and checked on my daughters."

Lane's unit is across the breezeway from the apartment where the woman was shot and killed.

"After I heard the banging on the door, I did hear the five shots," another neighbor said.

No one else inside the apartment was hurt, including the children.

"I feel so sorry for those kids," Cross said. "I don't even think they realize right now their mom is dead.

According to the Texas Council of Family Violence, in 2021, domestic violence in Harris County led to 47 people dying, the most in any county in Texas.

RELATED: 'These situations can turn violent': 35% of homicides related to domestic violence, HCSO says

"That's not love, that's not love what y'all going through, baby," said Cross, who has family members who have suffered through domestic violence.

"If a man hit you one time, don't ever think, because if he says 'I'm not going to do it again' that he won't hit you again," she said. "If he hits you once or twice, he will kill you."

Detectives were working on getting a description of the ex-boyfriend's car.

Investigators said a gun was found inside the home, but it's unclear if it was the one used in the shooting.