Texas father shoots, kills intruder holding 2 children at gunpoint
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A Texas father of two shot and killed one of three intruders who entered his home Sunday and held his family at gunpoint, according to local reports.
The following day, the home on 18th street in Port Arthur was also the apparent target of a shooting around 6 p.m., and a few hours later a fire was reported there around midnight, Port Arthur News said.
Port Arthur Police said armed suspect Terence Ellies, 27, died Sunday at the scene of the aggravated robbery after he and two other armed suspects, whom police say may have known the homeowners, forcibly entered the residence as a female resident was arriving, according to PA News.
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"The homeowner fired several shots at the suspect, who was pronounced deceased on scene," Sgt. Shannon Meaux told the outlet. "The other two suspects fled the area before officers arrived."
The gunmen held the family at gunpoint before the male homeowner shot and killed Ellies with a rifle "in protection of his young children," Sgt. Chris Billiot told PA News.
No one was home during the Monday shooting or fire, which destroyed a bedroom. The cause of the fire is suspicious, Port Arthur Police Det. Mike Hebert told the outlet on Wednesday. Port Arthur police did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News.
"We want the public to know we don’t feel this is just a random act where individuals are going and doing aggravated robberies," Hebert said. "The evidence shows they knew each other."
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The Port Arthur Police Department’s Criminal Investigations is looking into the incident and interviewing witnesses.
One local resident who spoke to PA News suggested that the incident may have been gang-related.
"It is what it is," he told the outlet. "Our law enforcement will not say what it all is. It’s all gang-related. [Criminals] get together and rob and steal. The detectives know what it is. They’re not willing to get out of their comfort zone."
Hebert would not say whether the incident was or was not gang-related, according to PA News.
"These investigations are like a puzzle, and we have to put the pieces together," he said.