Man, woman dead in murder-suicide after hours-long SWAT standoff
Harris County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Bureau Major Earl Dean speaks to reporters after a man and his girlfriend were found dead in a murder-suicide after an hours-long standoff with police. (Harris County Sheriff’s Office)
(HOUSTON) — A man and woman were found dead in a Houston apartment after an hours-long standoff with the sheriff’s department, according to officials.
A 20-year-old woman and the 23-year-old suspect were found dead in the apartment, Harris County Sheriff’s Department Patrol Bureau Maj. Earl Dean said at a press conference on Monday.
Deputies received a report of man “frantic” on his phone just before 2 p.m. Monday, saying he “accidentally shot his girlfriend,” Dean said.
At the scene, deputies made contact with the man, who refused to obey their commands and threatened to kill himself. The man then barricaded himself inside the apartment, Dean said.
Deputies contacted additional resources and a SWAT team took over the scene, according to Dean.
After several hours of the crisis negotiation team talking to the man, trying to get him to surrender, the man refused all commands, Dean said.
“At one point we did deploy gas into the apartment complex. The male retreated onto the balcony where he suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Dean said.
“This is very unfortunate,” Dean said.
No deputies discharged their weapons during the incident, according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
The circumstances surrounding both deaths remain under investigation. There is no ongoing threat to the public, Gonzalez said.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
(LAS VEGAS) — Prosecutors in Nevada said they’re looking to try the teenage girl accused of stabbing three horses in adult court.
Officers responded to a barn in Las Vegas early Saturday and found three horses “intentionally injured with a sharp object,” Las Vegas police said.
A teenage girl who was in Las Vegas for an equestrian competition was identified as a possible suspect, according to police and the National Barrel Horse Association. She allegedly had access to the barn and authorities believe she may have used a knife to wound the horses, police said.
The horses’ injuries were not life-threatening, but they were expected to keep the animals from competing at this weekend’s event, police said in a statement.
The teen, who was at a nearby hotel, was taken into custody and booked for 12 counts of willful/malicious kill/maim/torture animal — horse and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property over $5,000, police said.
The Clark County District Attorney’s office said Tuesday that it wants the teen charged in adult court and said it’s “reviewing the matter to determine what charges to file which may include willful or malicious torture, maiming, or killing of an animal and felony malicious destruction of property.”
“These allegations involve deliberate acts of extreme cruelty against defenseless animals and have had a significant impact on the victims, the owners, and the broader equestrian community,” Clark County DA Steve Wolfson said in a statement.
The teen is next due in court on Thursday. A separate hearing will be scheduled for a judge to determine if the case should be moved to adult court, the DA’s office said.
The suspect was a competitor in the NBHA’s Professional’s Choice Vegas Super Show this weekend, according to the organization.
“The situation was addressed immediately in coordination with the National Barrel Horse Association, the South Point Hotel & Casino Security, Metro Police, and all appropriate parties,” the NBHA said in a statement.
“All appropriate steps have been taken to ensure the well-being of all horses,” the organization added.
The owner of one of the injured horses spoke out in a statement to ABC News, saying, “this situation is absolutely devastating.”
“To see [my horse] Detail who is my entire world and my best friend, in so much pain, helpless and injured,” said the owner, who did not want to be named.
The owner alleged that the teenage suspect follows her on social media and “has made comments and attempts about trying to meet me and Detail at last year’s NBHA Supershow.”
“This year she happened to be in the same warmup pen at the same time as me and officially met me and Detail. This was one night before the stabbing,” the owner said. “She made comments on Detail’s markings.”
ABC News has also reached out to the owners of the other two injured horses.
Craig Berry is seen in an undated photo released by the Stewart County Sheriff’s Office. (Stewart County Sheriff’s Office)
(TENNESSEE) — A manhunt is underway in Tennessee for a man with “extensive” survival training who is accused of shooting his wife then fleeing into the woods, authorities said.
Local, state and federal authorities are involved in the search for Craig Berry, who is wanted for second-degree attempted murder, according to the Stewart County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to a domestic altercation at his residence in Dover around 1:30 a.m. on May 1, according to Stewart County Sheriff’s Office. Berry fled into the woods near his home after allegedly shooting his wife and was gone before deputies arrived, authorities said.
His wife was transported to a medical facility, according to the sheriff’s office, which did not provide details on her condition.
The sheriff’s office said Berry is very familiar with the area and warned it could be a “lengthy process” to capture him.
“Berry is a retired special forces veteran and has extensive training in survival tactics,” Stewart County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Paulette Redman said in a statement on Monday. “He is an excellent swimmer and diver, and is in good physical shape.”
Berry is armed with “at least one handgun” and may have taken extra ammunition, according to Redman. He is not believed to have any phone or other means of communication on him, she said.
Berry was captured by a trail camera wearing camouflage clothing, the sheriff’s office said while releasing the photo.
“We are not ruling out the possibility that he has received some outside assistance after the incident,” Redman said.
The U.S. Marshals Service, Tennessee Highway Patrol and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are assisting in the search, the sheriff’s office said.
There is no information indicating that he is no longer in the area, the sheriff’s office said Monday.
He was last seen near River Trace Road, and authorities are conducting a “very detailed search” of the area from River Trace Road to Highway 79 to parts of Highway 232 this week, the sheriff’s office said Monday.
The sheriff’s office advised residents to call 911 if they see anything suspicious.
The Coast Guard searching for a missing person, Lynette Hooker, in the Bahamas. (U.S. Coast Guard)
(BAHAMAS) — The Coast Guard released new photos on Monday as it announced that it has concluded its search in the Bahamas for Lynette Hooker, an American woman who went overboard and vanished two months ago.
The Coast Guard said it used divers, underwater vehicles, drones and a cadaver dog to “thoroughly examine newly identified areas of interest” last week.
The agency said it also took custody of the Hookers’ dinghy so it can be further examined in the U.S.
Last week’s search came after forensic evidence found on electronic devices belonging to Lynette Hooker’s husband, Brian Hooker, led investigators to new areas of interest, U.S. officials said. One U.S. official told ABC News that what Brian Hooker told investigators does not match the GPS data recovered from his devices.
Lynette Hooker went missing on the evening of April 4. Brian Hooker told authorities that after the couple departed Hope Town on their dinghy to head to their yacht, bad weather caused her to go overboard.
Brian Hooker was arrested on April 8 and questioned by police, and he was released days later without charges.
The Coast Guard said its investigation continues and asks anyone with information to contact the Coast Guard Investigative Service Tips app.
