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Texas man killed wife, 2 kids, 2 bystanders before cops wounded him in gun battle: police

A gunman killed five people including his wife and two children Thursday morning during a domestic violence shooting in a McGregor, Texas neighborhood, according to authorities and news reports.

The victims also included two other women, one who was found in the street and another found inside a nearby home, reported KXTX-TV.

The gunman was shot and wounded by McGregor police when they arrived in the neighborhood. The name of the suspect has not been released.

“This terrible and senseless act of violence has devastated our town,” McGregor Mayor Jimmy Hering told the Waco Tribune-Herald and other media Thursday. “While the families are being notified of the details, we ask that you keep them, the officers and the community of McGregor in your thoughts and prayers. We will keep the public informed as investigative facts are confirmed.”

Authorities have not released the names of the victims in the homicides, which involved two homes that are side-by-side in the 900 block of South Monroe Avenue. Family members and friends at a church service said Lori Aviles and her daughter Natalie Aviles, a young adult, were among those killed, the Tribune-Herald reported. A family member told KCEN-TV that the two women were innocent bystanders.

The New York Daily News reported that the gunman’s wife and her two children also were victims in the shooting.

McGregor, a town of about 5,200 people, is about 130 miles south of Fort Worth and about 20 miles southwest of Waco.

The mayor said McGregor police received a call about 7:30 a.m. of shots fired. When officers arrived, the suspect shot at them and officers returned fire, Hering said..

Neighbor Judy Lockamy told the Waco Tribune-Herald that the families in both houses have been living there since before she moved in. Lockamy has lived in the neighborhood about nine years and said both households were “quiet and kept to themselves.”

At the request of the McGregor Police Department, the Texas Rangers are investigating the shootings.

“It’s over, but we want successful healing of the community,” Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Sgt. Ryan Howard said in a Thursday afternoon news conference, according to the Tribune-Herald. “This is not something I looked forward to when I came to work this morning. It’s one of those things we wish would never happen.”

A Facebook post by the Troy Independent School District said all its middle school, freshman and junior varsity football games with McGregor schools were canceled Thursday night due to the “tragic shooting in the McGregor community.”

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved,” the post reads.

Students were getting counseling Thursday, and counselors were scheduled to be back in the schools on Friday, the Tribune-Herald reported.

Bethlehem Christian Church in McGregor organized an impromptu service attended by more than 300 people on Thursday night to support Ezra and Zion Aviles, the teenage sons of Lori Aviles, the Tribune-Herald reported.

The boys’ father and Lori’s husband, Mike Aviles, was youth pastor at the church and died two years ago, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald.

Mike Aviles’ sister, Renee Flores, spoke at the service and said afterward, “Let their lights shine. Let everyone know how special Lori and Natalie were,” the Tribune-Herald reported. “Lori was amazing and Natalie had her whole life in front of her. And this church family will let Ezra and Zion know that they are loved.”

A GoFundMe account had been established for the family of Lori and Natalie Aviles. As of Friday morning, more than $17,000 had been raised with a goal of $40,000.

“Our dear sweet Lori & Natalie have been called home to rejoice with our Lord & Savior,” wrote Laila Hidrogo, who established the account. “Unfortunately Lori & Natalie we’re innocent victims in an act of gun violence. This GoFundMe is for anyone who’d like to help with any expenses.”