A teenager committed suicide in front of his mother after gunning down an Army veteran on Sunday.
According to ABC13, the unidentified 17-year-old gunned down Army veteran James Ayala, 25, who he believed was dating his ex-girlfriend.
Ayala, a father of five, was shot multiple times.
Police say the teen invited the couple to a friend’s house in Katy, Texas. When they arrived just after midnight on Sunday, the teenage suspect opened fire, killing Ayala.
Darian Mitchell, a witness who lived at the address, told ABC13 he watched the suspect gun down Ayala in his driveway.
“When he shot him, his girlfriend started screaming and then he ran,” Mitchell says. “And then he shot again, and then everyone started coming out and screaming.”
“I don’t know why he was tripping over this one girl, but it was not worth it.” Mitchell said.
The suspect fled to his mother’s home in West Harris County.
After an argument the teen’s mother drove him to the Harris County Sheriff’s substation to turn him in around 5:30 a.m.
A deputy leaving the substation saw a black car parked in the parking lot with its headlights on.
The deputy approached the car and asked the occupants if they needed assistance.
The teen’s mother got out of the car and told the officer she was there to turn her son in for a murder he committed earlier that morning.
When the suspect got out of the car and pulled a weapon, the deputy drew his service pistol and ordered the suspect to drop his gun.
But the teenager shot himself in front of his mother and the deputy after admitted to killing Ayala.
He was rushed to a local hospital in Harris County, where he later died.
The deputy was placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing.
