5 kids and 3 adults shot dead at Houston home

Houston, Aug 9: Eight people, including five children have been shot dead here at a home in the US state of Texas and police say a man surrendered following a brief exchange of fire.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office says a 49-year-old man surrendered after five kids and three adults were found dead at a home yesterday evening.

Around 9 pm deputies were called to a home in Falling Oaks, not far from Veterans Memorial and Fallbrook Drive, to perform a welfare check, KHOU-TV reported.

HCSO Spokesman Thomas Gilliland says when deputies arrived, no one responded at the front door.

They then received more information that indicated a man in the home was wanted on a warrant for aggravated assault on a family member.

The sergeant on the scene called for a High Risk Operations Unit, similar to SWAT, to help make entry and investigate.

While the call was being placed, deputies surrounded the home, and they spotted the body of a juvenile through a window.

The sergeant and three deputies forced their way in, and the 49-year-old male suspect inside began shooting, the sheriff's office says.

Deputies pulled back and waited for the HROU and a negotiator to arrive. Authorities established contact with the suspect, and after more than an hour he came outside and surrendered without further incident.

The bodies of eight people were found in the home, Gilliland said. "At this time we have what appears to be five children and three adults," said Gilliland.

"Ages and genders we do not have, and cause of death we do not have. The medical examiner will have to determine a cause of death."

It's not yet clear what the relationship was between the suspect and the victims, and a motive for the crime has not been determined.

"Due to the amount of victims and the proximity to the people in the house, it'll be a scene that's going on for a while," Gilliland said.

PTI