The children, ages 4, 11 and 13, were at school when gunfire left their mother dead and father critically injured.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Three children were at school Friday when a shooting outside their west Harris County home killed their mother and left their father critically injured, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
The children are ages 4, 11 and 13, according to Gonzalez. Authorities said none of them was at the home when the shooting occurred Aug. 28 in the 7400 block of Casuna Lane. Investigators believe the children’s father shot their mother multiple times before turning the gun on himself, based on preliminary information released by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Harris County Precinct 5 deputies responded to the residential area and found a man and woman suffering from gunshot wounds at an intersection. Both were transported to hospitals. The woman was pronounced dead, while the man was listed in critical condition.
Authorities later identified the wounded pair as a married couple who lived at the home near where deputies found them. Their names and ages had not been publicly released as of Saturday, and investigators had provided few details about what happened before the shooting.
The sheriff’s office described the case as an isolated domestic violence incident. Investigators had not publicly identified a specific motive or disclosed whether deputies had previously been called to the home. No other people were reported injured.
The fact that the couple’s children were at school was among the additional details released as investigators developed a clearer account of the shooting. Initial reports from authorities said only that a man and woman had been found wounded and that investigators believed the incident was related to domestic violence.
Officials later said preliminary evidence pointed to the husband as the person who shot his wife before shooting himself. That finding remained part of an ongoing investigation, and authorities had not released a complete timeline of the events leading to the gunfire.
Precinct 5 deputies handled the initial response before the Harris County Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation. Detectives continued working to establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting and determine what occurred immediately before the couple was found wounded.
The husband remained in critical condition in the latest update from authorities. Officials had not announced any change in his condition or released the identity of the woman who died.
The investigation remains ongoing, with the sheriff’s office continuing to examine the evidence and circumstances surrounding the shooting while key details, including what preceded the violence, remain undisclosed.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 29, 2026.