Family Of 4 Shot By Intruder; 2 Killed
Officials: Man Wore Ski Mask
POSTED: Thursday, December 11, 2003
UPDATED: 5:12 pm CST December 11,
2003
SUGAR LAND, Texas -- A family of four was shot, resulting in the deaths of a mother and a son, as they walked into their Sugar Land house Wednesday night while an intruder was burglarizing it.
Officials told News2Houston a person broke into the family's home on the 2200 block of Heron Way in the Sugar Lakes subdivision around 8 p.m. Wednesday while family members were not there.Investigators said the Whitaker family was out for dinner when the burglar broke into the house. When they arrived home and walked through the front door, the intruder -- wearing a mask -- fired shots at all four family members, killing 19-year-old Kevin Whitaker at the scene.The mother, Patricia Whitaker, 51, was transported by LifeFlight to Memorial Hermann Hospital; however, she died before she arrived.The father, Kent Whitaker, 55, was also taken by LifeFlight to Memorial Hermann Hospital with life-threatening injuries. He is listed in fair condition.Another son, 23-year-old Bart Whitaker, is also hospitalized in fair condition. Both men are scheduled for surgery Saturday to remove bullets from their shoulders.
The intruder escaped out the back door before police arrived. Investigators said there were no signs of forced entry."It is beyond our imagination to try and get our thoughts around this loss," family pastor Matt Barnhill said.Barnhill talked to Kent Whitaker Wednesday night as he lay injured in a hospital room."He was so surprised it could happen so quickly. He couldn't tell very much about it. The person had a ski mask on so he couldn't identify him," Barnhill said. "(The family) doesn't have any enemies. It is crazy that someone would rob them because they would give anything away that anybody needed."Patricia Whitaker was a volunteer at Lakeview Elementary School, where she had previously taught."She just was someone everyone loved to know," said Susie Duggan, a family friend.The family was well known for their generosity to area charities, according to family friends.Anyone with any information about this case should contact the Sugar Land Criminal Investigations Division at (281) 275-2524 or Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers at (281) 342-TIPS.
Copyright 2004 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Pastor Remembers Sugar Land Shooting VictimsThe intruder escaped out the back door before police arrived. Investigators said there were no signs of forced entry."It is beyond our imagination to try and get our thoughts around this loss," family pastor Matt Barnhill said.Barnhill talked to Kent Whitaker Wednesday night as he lay injured in a hospital room."He was so surprised it could happen so quickly. He couldn't tell very much about it. The person had a ski mask on so he couldn't identify him," Barnhill said. "(The family) doesn't have any enemies. It is crazy that someone would rob them because they would give anything away that anybody needed."Patricia Whitaker was a volunteer at Lakeview Elementary School, where she had previously taught."She just was someone everyone loved to know," said Susie Duggan, a family friend.The family was well known for their generosity to area charities, according to family friends.Anyone with any information about this case should contact the Sugar Land Criminal Investigations Division at (281) 275-2524 or Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers at (281) 342-TIPS. Copyright 2004 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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