ROCKPORT, Texas — Two people are dead and one person was wounded after a shooting turned into a hostage situation in Rockport Thursday night.
Officers with the Rockport Police Department were called to the 800 block of Mathis St. around 11 p.m. for what began as a domestic violence situation and ended in a tragic shooting, Chief of Rockport Police Department Greg Stevens, said.
The suspect, Richard Becker, 57, shot and killed his girlfriend, 59-year-old Sharon Simmons in the kitchen of the home, Stevens said. After shooting Simmons, Becker turned the gun on her friend, 63-year-old Loretta Jones, who was shot but was able to make it out of the house to make that 911 call at a neighbors house.
When police arrived around 11:18 p.m., they found there were three teens still inside the house with Becker, Stevens said. Two were Simmons' grandchildren, ages 13 and 14, and one was their friend, age 13. This caused a standoff situation between Becker and police, Stevens said. Aransas County Sheriff Deputies and DPS troopers also responded to the scene.
Law enforcement set up a perimeter and tried to make contact with Becker because they knew the teens were still in the house. A rare crime in Rockport, Stevens said they were prepared for it.
"We try to make sure that we have the right equipment, the right training and the right mindset to deal with things like this, in the event that such a rarity would occur," Stevens said.
Stevens then called the Corpus Christi Police Department and asked for the SWAT team. While they were on the way, detectives were prepping a search warrant and arrest warrant for Becker, Stevens said.
Around this time, the two 13-year-old girls made their way out of a bedroom window, Stevens said. Police saw them and waved them over to the officers. Police were able to get more information about what was going on and then got on the phone with the 14-year-old who was still inside. Officers told her to find another bedroom window to escape from, Stevens said. She was able to make it out of the home safely.
Law enforcement then breached the front door with an explosive device and made their way into the house. Officers confirmed Simmons was dead in the kitchen, and in the primary bedroom, they found Becker with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was found with a pistol in his hand, Stevens said.
“We still have to confirm this through investigation, but we do believe that is the same firearm that he used to shoot both of the victims,” Stevens said.
Stevens said Jones will be a key to finding more answers to this tragic situation. She was shot two times, one in the neck and other in her hip. An investigation will be carried out to find out what led to the violence.
"To determine how this happened," Stevens said. "How did we get to this terrible outcome."
All of the girls who were in the home are safe. The two granddaughters are staying with another relative, Stevens said.
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