Texas Man Kills 4 Roommates During Argument, Held On $4 Million Bail

A man, who killed four of his roommates in an argument in Beaumont, Texas, on Sunday, was being held for four counts of murder on a $4 million bail, police said Monday.

A heated argument between a man and his four roommates turned ugly as he fatally shot all of them. A Beaumont police officer on patrol around the Highland Avenue area heard gunshots being fired and went to investigate at 12.10 p.m. local time (1.10 p.m. EDT), Sunday.

The officer found four people with gunshot wounds, two of whom were dead. The two found dead on the scene were identified as 23-year-old Shannon Sutton and 32-year-old Alvin Lee Bellard. The officer reported that he found 39-year-old Bobby Wyatt and 33-year-old Elijah Rideau alive when he got to the scene. They eventually succumbed to their injuries at the hospital. The police officer confirmed that one of the victims, Rideau, told him the shooter was “Lively”.

Following this, Lively James Stratton, a 22-year-old Beaumont resident, was arrested Monday and charged with four counts of murder. His bail was set at $4 million, $1 million per victim, Beaumont police officer Carol Riley said.

The victims’ families were devastated by the untimely passing away of their loved ones. “He’s not here. I’m just so hurt,” said Roslyn Sutton, mother of Shannon, the youngest victim in the case. She also added that her son was about to turn 24 on Tuesday.

As officers progressed with the investigation, witnesses told them that Stratton was having problems with his roommates and was at the apartment before the shooting. They also added that Stratton had threatened the men in the apartment and some witnesses at the scene.