Police are determining whether a critically wounded 90-year-old man shot himself or was shot by another man inside a garage.
HOUSTON, Texas — Houston detectives are trying to determine who fired a second gunshot inside a southeast Houston home after police say a 90-year-old man killed a healthcare worker and later suffered a critical gunshot wound to the head.
The unanswered question emerged after officers responded about 1 p.m. Monday to the 11500 block of Panay Drive. Police initially received information suggesting a murder-suicide, but investigators said the circumstances became less clear as they established who was inside the home and reconstructed what happened after the healthcare worker was shot.
Four people were at the residence, according to police: an 87-year-old woman who lived there, her healthcare worker, a 90-year-old male friend and a man in his 40s connected to the healthcare worker. Authorities said the healthcare worker was believed to be in her 40s.
Investigators said the 90-year-old man shot and killed the healthcare worker before going to the garage. The man in his 40s followed him there. Police said a gunshot was then heard, and the 90-year-old was subsequently found with a gunshot wound to his head.
He was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. Police said he was not expected to survive. Investigators had not publicly released his name or the name of the healthcare worker as of Tuesday.
Detectives were working to determine whether the 90-year-old fired the shot that wounded him or whether the other man in the garage shot him. Police detained the other man and took him to headquarters to give a statement. Authorities had not announced charges against him.
The distinction is important to investigators as they determine the complete sequence of the shooting. Police have publicly described the 90-year-old as the person who fatally shot the healthcare worker, but they have not reached a publicly announced conclusion about who fired the later shot in the garage.
Authorities also have not released a motive for the healthcare worker’s killing or explained what led to the initial confrontation. The 87-year-old resident was described as a friend of the critically wounded man. Police have not reported that she was injured.
The investigation remained active Tuesday, with detectives seeking to resolve the circumstances surrounding the second gunshot and the events that preceded the healthcare worker’s death. No charges had been announced, and police had not released the identities of those involved.
Author note: Last updated September 29, 2026.