A Harris County Sheriffs Office handout mug shot of Ronald Lee Haskell. Source: AFP
A photograph of the Stay family is left on their doorstep with flowers and candles. Source: AP
Ribbons are tied around trees in front of Lemm Elementary School, which two of the Stay children attended. Source: AP
The Texas man accused of slaughtering six members of his ex-wife's family, including four children, tied them up and shot them execution style in the back of the head, court documents show.
Ronald Lee Haskell, 33, faces the death penalty after being charged with multiple counts of capital murder.
Haskell, who has a history of domestic violence, was arrested on Wednesday night local time after a three hour long standoff with police in the wake of the mass shooting.
The motive behind the latest chapter in the epidemic of gun violence plaguing the United States was not immediately known, but police suspect family troubles led to the bloodshed.
The heavily set Haskell, dressed as a FedEx delivery man, forced his way into the home of his ex-wife's sister in the Houston suburb of Spring, demanding to see his ex-wife, Melanie.
Told she was not there, Haskell tied up the family's eldest daughter, 15-year-old Cassidy, and held her at gunpoint until the rest of the family came home. court documents show that Cassidy had tried to shut the door on the gunman but he had kicked it in before grabbing her.
When the rest of the family returned home, Haskell also tied up the other four children — two boys aged four and 13 and two girls aged seven and nine — as well as husband and wife Stephen Stay, 39, and Katie Stay, 33.
He then shot each member of the family in the back of the head execution-style.
Cassidy Stay was the only member of the family to survive. Despite her injuries, she was able to call police and tell them that the gunman was heading for her grandparents' home, sparking a 20 minute chase which ended when police forced Haskell's car over in a cul-de-sac.
Cassidy is still in critical condition in hospital. one of her siblings was still alive when police arrived, but died on the way to hospital.
Katie Stay's father, Roger Lyon, said the family was "shocked and devastated" by the tragedy.
"Stephen and Katie Stay and their beautiful children were an amazing and resilient family. They lived to help others, both at church and in their neighbourhood. We love them beyond words," he said.
"Cassidy ... is expected to make a full recovery. We are grateful for this miracle.
"We are in awe of her bravery and courage in calling 911, an act that is likely to have saved all of our lives. She is our hero."
In 2008 Haskell was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, simple assault and committing an act of violence in front of children, local media reports. He was considered a "threat" to his children, according to divorce documents.
This morning, a small, makeshift memorial with three candles and a plant could be seen at the front door of the family's two-storey white-brick and brown wood-trimmed home. A couple with a child left a framed photo of the family with the inscription "Faith, Hope, Love."
"I don't think any of us will ever be able to see that house the same again," said Viri Palacios, who lives across the street from the Stays. "I just want the word to get out they were a really, really good family."
Neighbour Verena Beckstrand, 42, described how Katie Stay went to Utah last autumn to help her sister escape her relationship with Haskell and make a fresh start in Texas.
"Katie's a spitfire. She has energy to stand up for what she believes is right and true," Beckstrand said.
A few blocks from the home at Lemm Elementary School, Principal Kathy Brown tied multicoloured ribbons around trees in front of the building and encouraged parents to do the same.
"It's to have positive bright thoughts about the family," Brown said, noting that two of the slain children had attended school there and a third had graduated from Lemm.
The shooting was the latest in a spate of similar incidents in a country plagued by gun violence.
President Barack Obama has warned that America needs to do some "soul-searching" on gun control laws, which remain relatively lax despite regular gun rampages.
On May 23, a student with mental problems killed six people and then himself in California, while on June 5 a gunman killed one person and injured two others on a campus in Seattle.
In June, a couple with possible anti-government militia links shot dead two police and a civilian in Las Vegas, and a teenage gunman shot a 14-year-old student dead at an Oregon high school.
via Top Stories - Google News http://ift.tt/1mELslp
Put the internet to work for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment