Tragedy struck the small town of Katy, Texas after a mother shot and killed her two daughters and then was shot and killed herself by police, authorities told The New York Times.
Law enforcement responded to reports of gunfire at the family’s home on Friday and found Taylor Sheats, 22, and her younger sister Madison, 17, lying in the street. Their mother Christy, 42, stood close by holding a gun. After Sheats refused to let go of the gun, a police officer shot her once, killing her, according to Sheriff Troy E. Nehls of the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office.
Although many of the details of the ongoing investigation are unclear, investigators believe Christy called for a family meeting. When her husband, Jason Sheats, and children came into the room, she opened fire. Madison Sheats was killed on the scene, while Taylor was shot once and ran outside. Christy reportedly went inside to reload the gun, then returned to the front lawn to shoot Taylor again. Jason Sheats, who witnessed his own daughters’ murders, managed to get away unscathed by running up the street.
Crisis intervention teams and the police have been sent to the Sheats’ home 14 times since 2012.
Sheriff Nehls said of the Sheats family, “They seemed to be an all-American family. Then you realize that what happens behind closed doors—you just don’t know,” adding that Mr. Sheats was having trouble coping with Friday’s events.
Christy Sheats’s friend Catherine Knowles told a local ABC affiliate, KTRK-TV, that she had no idea what could have triggered this tragic event. She had seen no warning signs that Mrs. Sheats was in danger of losing control. “I wish there was something I could’ve done,” Knowles said.
“This is not the Christy that I know—it’s just not,” she said. “I thought it was the wrong person. It had to be.”
According to her Facebook profile, Taylor Sheats attended Lone Star College at CyFair in Cypress, Texas, and wanted to be an artist. Madison Sheats was set to begin her senior year of high school at Seven Lakes High School in the fall.
Investigators have not disclosed how Christy Sheats obtained the gun or if she suffered from a mental illness, according to The Times. This tragedy is just one example of how devastating gun violence can be.