3 teen girls killed in apparent murder-suicide in Texas; 12-year-old escapes after assault

Three teen girls, including one who was pregnant, were fatally shot Saturday night in Texas by a man who then killed himself in an apparent murder-suicide, police said. 

A 12-year-old girl said her mother’s boyfriend, 38, sexually assaulted her and shot three other teens inside the Galena Park, Texas, house, police said. The girl and her 1-year-old niece escaped to a neighbor’s house to call for help. 

Galena Park police found the bodies of three girls, ages 19, 14 and 13, dead with gunshot wounds inside the house. Police recovered a gun next to the 38-year-old man who was found dead in the master bedroom from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

The identities of the shooter and teen victims will not be released until they are confirmed by investigators, Gonzalez said. 

Update: at approx 10:30pm, officers with Galena Park PD responded to a sexual assault of a child and a possible shooting. A 12-yr-old child reported she was sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend and he had shot other family members inside their house. The victim stated
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— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) February 19, 2023

Gonzalez said the man shot a pregnant 19-year-old and two younger teens and sexually assaulted the 12-year-old, according to an interview from the scene shared by KHOU 11.

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“After than, he told her to go ahead and run from the house,” Gonzalez said. “She ran out of the residence without any clothing trying to seek assistance. So she ran to a nearby home” with her 1-year-old niece and called police. 

The teens’ mother was not home at the time, police said. The 12-year-old girl was treated at a nearby hospital. 

Per: USA Today