Texas shooting: Father kills his four children, two others after divorce dispute?
President Barack Obama has warned that America needs to do some "soul-searching" on gun control, which remains relatively lax despite regular gun rampages.
Chicago: A gunman killed four children and two adults during a domestic dispute in Texas before being taken into custody, officials said.
ABC News said the children, ranging in age from 4 to 13, were that of the gunman himself in the Houston-area rampage -- the latest chapter in the epidemic of gun violence plaguing the United States.
After the shooting at a home where the children were staying, the shooter led police on a chase ending in a three-hour standoff in a suburban cul-de-sac, where he eventually surrendered, ABC said.
The TV station quoted the Harris County Sheriff`s Office, which gave the same death toll and said the suspect was in custody but provided no details on the victims` relation to the gunman.
ABC News said the slain children were boys aged 13 and 4 and two girls aged 9 and 7.
The shooting happened in Spring, outside Houston, Harris County Constable Ron Hickman told AFP.
One of the children died after arriving at hospital. The two slain adults were men, Hickman said.
Before being taken to hospital, a wounded woman was able to tell authorities where the suspect, a relative, was headed, triggering a police chase that lasted at least 20 minutes.
ABC said that person was actually the gunman`s 15-year-old daughter, who managed to call police and tell them he intended to kill her grandparents at another home.
During the standoff the shooter sat in his vehicle surrounded by about 50 police with their guns drawn. There were at least a dozen patrol cars waiting to pounce.
The Harris County Sheriff`s Office later said on Twitter that the suspect was in custody. No one was immediately available at the press office early Thursday.
It was "obviously a domestic situation that went south," Hickman told a news conference Wednesday evening in Texas.
"Probably a divorce or at least a separation."
A hostage team had been negotiating with the suspect for him to surrender. The suspect had not taken anyone hostage.
He pointed a gun at his head during one point in the standoff, ABC said, quoting police.
Some residents took to Twitter to thank the authorities for ending the standoff without violence.
"@SheriffGarcia Great job by your team this evening in our Spring community, thank you," Susan Wheeler wrote on Sheriff Adrian Garcia`s Twitter page.
The shooting was the latest in a spate of similar incidents in a country plagued by gun violence.
President Barack Obama has warned that America needs to do some "soul-searching" on gun control, which remains relatively lax despite regular gun rampages.
On May 23, a student with mental problems killed six people and then himself in California, while on June 5 a gunman killed one person and injured two others on a campus in Seattle.
In June, a couple with possible anti-government militia links shot dead two police and a civilian in Las Vegas, and a teenage gunman shot a 14-year-old student dead at an Oregon high school.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.