A man opened fire at a suburban home here today, killing four of his children as well as two adults and then surrendered to police following a lengthy standoff in an incident that authorities say was triggered by a domestic dispute.
Two adults and three children were found dead at the crime scene in the suburb of Spring. Another child died after being airlifted to a nearby hospital, officials said.
One teenager survived the incident identified her father to authorities - warning that he planned to target her grandparents next.
The gunman then led authorities on a chase, with nearly two dozen deputy constables' patrol cars following him.
The gunman eventually surrendered after a three-hour standoff with deputies who had cornered him.
Police did not identify the victims immediately.
"Killed were two boys, ages 4 and 14; two girls, ages 7 and 9; a 39-year-old man; and a 33-year-old woman," said Deputy Thomas Gilliland of the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
The gunman and his wife are estranged, and she lives out of state, Gilliland said. All of the children were theirs. Two of the dead children were adopted, he said.
"It appears this stems from a domestic issue with a breakup in the family from what our witness has told us," Assistant Chief Deputy Constable Mark Herman of the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office told reporters.
He did not explain further.
Authorities also did not release the identities of the victims or the suspect, nor did they say whether the adults who were killed were related to the children or their father.
Gilliland said the teenager was in "very critical condition" at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston late Wednesday night.
Gilliland described the man as in his 30s with a beard "and cool as a cucumber".
