Texas Murder-Suicide: Mother Shoots 8-Year-Old Before Killing Self During Police Standoff

A mother shot dead her 8-year-old daughter before killing herself during a police standoff at their southern Oak Cliff home in Dallas, Texas, early Monday morning. The murder-suicide took place following a domestic dispute.

Officers responded to the family violence call in the 500 block of Highcrest Drive near Camp Wisdom Road. A male victim on scene told officers that he was involved in an argument with his wife, who became upset and opened fire on him, police said in a statement. He ran out of the house and called 911.

Dallas SWAT officers surrounded the home as police blocked off streets in the area. One of the children -- a 12-year-old boy -- was able to escape unharmed. According to police, the standoff continued for several more hours until SWAT officers attempted to break their way into the home.

As the officers approached, the woman opened fire on the officers, grazing one in his arm. Officers retreated without returning fire and repositioned outside the home.

During a second entry into the home, officers found the woman and the 8-year-old child dead from what appeared to be a murder-suicide, police said, adding that the SWAT officer who was injured is in good condition.

Police are yet to reveal other information about the incident.

In another recent murder-suicide case in Kentucky, a man and a child were found dead in an apartment in Rockcastle County. Kentucky State Police said they were called to a “disturbance” at a residence on Castle Village Drive in Brodhead.

When police arrived, they found Ricky D. McClure, 52, of Brodhead, and a “young juvenile,” who both appeared to have died of gunshot wounds. Rockcastle County Coroner Marvin Owens said the two people died in what appeared to be a murder-suicide. The relationship between the man and the child remains unknown.

"There's a lot of people trying to figure out what went wrong in Castle Village today. It's just a sad situation and it's something these officers, no matter who you work for the state police, Sheriff's Department of Broadhead, these are things we don't like to come and see," Trooper Scottie Pennington said.

“We don’t think there is anyone out on the run and we are probably not going to make an arrest in this investigation," Pennington said, at the time. "It’s just a sad day for Broadhead and sad day for Rockcastle County.”