Man Shoots Wife, Four Kids and then Self

[candymosh]

Two Bay City children who were on life support after being shot by their father have died, authorities said Thursday afternoon.

Two other children, also shot by their father, died earlier. The man shot them and his wife Wednesday at their home in Bay City, officials said. She remains in critical condition at a Houston hospital.

Police said all five were shot by Jose Avila, 24, who then killed himself on Wednesday night at the family's mobile home 85 miles southeast of Houston.

Avila opened fire Wednesday after a conversation with his estranged wife, killing their 3-year-old and 5-year-old sons, officials said Thursday.

A co-worker of the woman identified her as Laura Gonzalez.

The couple's 4-year-old and their 2-year-old died later Thursday. Prompted by a call about a woman being shot, police responded to the trailer in the 2700 block of 10th Street about 3:18 p.m. Wednesday.

Authorities confirmed Avila was discovered dead with an apparent self-inflicted shot to his head.

When officers arrived, they found Avila, Gonzalez and their four children with gunshot wounds. The children were transported to Matagorda Regional Medical Center. They were then flown by medical helicopter to Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. Hospital officials said they are in critical condition.

Gonzalez underwent surgery and was subsequently airlifted to a Houston hospital, Bay City police spokesman Lt. Andrew Lewis said. She is at Memorial Hermann-The Texas Medical Center and is in critical condition, hospital officials said.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences confirmed Thursday morning that two of the children had died.

Neighbors told TV station Local 2 that the couple had been fighting a lot, and that Gonzalez moved out after Avila lost his job.

Officials took a report of a domestic assault from the home two days before Thanksgiving.

After the report on Nov. 22, an officer took Gonzalez to a women's crisis center, Lewis said. Authorities urged her to file charges against her husband, but she refused.

Eugene Davis, executive director of the Matagorda County Women's Center, said he couldn't comment on specifics of the case because of confidentiality, but his prayers were with the family.

"As a community we must understand that an offender is most likely to kill a victim when the victim attempts to leave," Davis said in a prepared statement. "The community as a whole needs to ensure a safety net when families members need to leave an abusive home."

The tragedy shocked residents of Bay City, a town of 18,000 and the seat of Matagorda County.

Cynthia Guzman and her 10-month-old daughter Jolizzah were among those who gathered in front of the trailer Thursday to pay their respects. Guzman said she came by to place balloons at the house because she knows what it's like to lose a loved one.

"I just hold my daughter, and I don't want to imagine the pain," Guzman said. "I just never want to imagine losing a child."

Cousins Marissa and Ofelia Mendoza also lit a candle at what became a makeshift shrine to the family. As the day went on, a steady stream of Bay City residents added stuffed animals, flowers and toys to the site.

Marissa Mendoza said her 3-year-old attends the same child care center as the pre-schooler who was killed. She often saw the child's mother around town and said the woman was quiet and kept to herself.

The family didn't appear to have many ties to other people in the community, Ofelia Mendoza added, and the woman seemed unhappy.

"Her life always looked miserable," Mendoza said. "All the time she had a sad face."

The woman's boss at La Casona restaurant painted a different picture.

She had just returned to work after an absence of several months, manager Carlos Yvalos said. "She was always a good worker and friendly to customers."

A candlelight vigil is planned for next week, as is a fund-raiser for the family.

[MrCorpse]

Good riddance to the lot of them

[Cancun78]

I can understand some suicide and some "homicide" motives but for the life of me, cannot see taking the innocent or any child, my own or not. However, abusive relationships, the abusive ones never think about anyone but themselves and that's how we have these.

I myself have been abused but by no means as so many women, children and rarely men. In al reality though, no reason for a grown man to put up with it. Women, I can understand a little more, unless it is their child/ren being abused. Fuck a "mom" putting up with someone abusing babies.

One of my best friends was a wild child. She took her own life, but not before she ensured both her little girls safety. A lot of people wondered about it when they found out she was going to be a mom for the first time. She did shit like stapling her arms, cutting herself and eventually shot herself but she never once put either of her babies in harm. She was a good parent, unlike the asshole in this thread.

[Skott]

Originally Posted by Cancun78

She took her own life, but not before she ensured both her little girls safety.... She was a good parent...

Mom of the year, clearly.

[kellyhound]

Jose had been beating up the mother of his children, Laura Gonzalez, for sometime. After the assaults, she would leave and go to a woman's crisis shelter but she would never press charges.

Why?

Because she and Jose were undocumented and she was too afraid that they would both be deported if she had him locked up. Being an undocumented immigrant meant that there was no legal way for Jose to ever own a gun.

But he had one, and after he shot all four of his small children, he turned the gun on himself and committed suicide.

Neighbors say that Jose and Laura started having problems when he lost his job sweeping floors at a grocery store. Laura worked in a restaurant.

There's no telling if Jose was a serial abuser or he was just pushed to the edge because of his financial situation.

tragic.

[RHtonyflowCP]

Why are the family suiciders the ones who think they should take the rest with them .

[RedneckR0nin]

Jesus if your going to kill yourself then power to ya.. Leave your god damn kids outta it

[rapeWhistle]

People flip the fuck out, shit happens... *shrug*

[collaredgirl65]

This makes me sad.