KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — Homicide investigators are working to determine whether a deadly shooting outside a Katy-area home early Friday was self-defense or murder, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
The shooting occurred shortly after 5 a.m. on Park Brook Drive, just east of South Mason Road, according to Sgt. Michael Ritchie with HCSO Homicide.
The shooting happened on Park Brook Drive in Katy.
Precinct 5 deputies responding to an in-progress disturbance call found a man shot near the front door of a home. Emergency medical crews performed lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspected shooter remained at the scene and was cooperative with investigators, Ritchie said. Deputies detained him as HCSO Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators arrived around 6 a.m.
"We're trying to figure out whether this was self-defense or murder," Sgt. Ritchie said. "The shooter stayed on scene, which is unusual — he's been cooperative."
Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a domestic disturbance. The man who was shot was an ex-boyfriend of one of the women who lives at the home and had come over early Friday to talk or reconcile, according to investigators. An argument then escalated into gunfire.
Several people, possibly three or four adults, live at the residence, and multiple witnesses were either inside or outside the home when the shooting happened, Ritchie said. Detectives are working to confirm whether the man who was killed had a weapon and whether any physical altercation occurred before the shooting.
"It looks like it was some kind of domestic disturbance," Ritchie said. "We're still determining whether the shooter had the right to use deadly force."
The shooting occurred near the front door — possibly inside or just outside the threshold — and investigators are securing a search warrant before entering the home to collect evidence. The medical examiner cannot enter until the warrant is signed and the scene is documented.
The case will likely be presented to a grand jury, which will decide whether charges are filed, Ritchie said.
Some neighbors said the home has been a "problem house" with heavy foot traffic. Ritchie said investigators have heard those claims but have not confirmed any drug-related activity inside the home.
"Our focus right now is on the homicide and determining what exactly happened," Ritchie said.