How Teen Victim Stopped More Killings by Alleged Texas Gunman
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iStock/Thinkstock(SPRING, Texas) — The Texas gunman who killed six people was out to murder more family members, police said, and a wounded 15-year-old at the house stopped him from causing even more carnage.
The 15-year-old was allegedly shot by the gunman, but managed to tell police who he was before she was rushed via helicopter to a hospital, where she was in critical condition, according to authorities. She is the lone survivor of Wednesday’s bloody rampage at a home in Spring, Texas.
The teen managed to dial 911 after she was shot — telling police that the man shot four of her siblings ages 4 to 13 and two adults before fleeing the house to try to kill her grandparents.
“She was able to provide us the name of the person who shot them, where he was going next,” Constable Ron Hickman said during a press conference late Wednesday. The constable had initially said the gunman was her father, but authorities backed away from that statement early Thursday, saying the relationship was unclear.
Police called the girl their “only clue” in finding the shooter, who is now in custody. She also placed the 911 call that alerted police of the shooting, which happened late afternoon Wednesday in a quiet neighborhood in the Houston area.
His victims were all related to each other, though it is unclear what relation the suspect may have to the victims. Four of the victims were children, two boys ages 4 and 13 and two girls ages 7 and 9. Police officials had initially named the suspect as 39-year-old Stephen Stay, but this information was also incorrect.
The two adults killed in the shootings were the married parents of the children.
The alleged gunman, who was caught after an hours-long stand-off with police, was out for even more blood.
“The grandparents were also targets,” another police offer said at the press conference. “Fortunately, they were brought out of the house before that happened.”
Detectives will interview the suspect, who surrendered after very intense hostage negotiations, to learn more about what triggered a man to murder the family.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that authorities this morning said that the relationship between the gunman and the family was unclear, contradicting their earlier statements they made to news organizations.
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