TEXAS CITY, Texas – A man accused of a horrifying crime has been charged and details were made public Friday.
Junaid Mehmood was charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of aggravated assault.
He’s accused of killing three children and beating and shooting the children's mother Thursday evening.
Texas City Police said a family member went to an apartment at 1225 10th St. N. in Texas City to check on the family and found the children on the floor. Police said they received the call around 6:15 p.m.
"As far as the crime scene, the description I've gotten from officers is that it's horrific,” said Joe Stanton, Texas City’s chief of police.
Authorities said Mehmood, 27, killed his biological daughter, 6-week-old Ashanti Mehmood, 1-year-old Prince Larry Brown and 5-year-old Angela Pilot.
The chief said it appears Mehmood beat and stabbed the children to death. An autopsy revealed the children suffered multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma.
Mehmood is also accused of beating Kimaria Nelson and shooting her multiple times in the face with a high-powered pellet gun. Nelson, 24, is the mother of all three children.
Police said no one at the apartment complex heard gunshots because Mehmood allegedly used a pellet gun.
Stanton said Nelson was conscious when police went inside the apartment but was hiding in fear.
“She was obviously injured, she was traumatized and we had to find her basically,” said Stanton.
She remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Police said the suspect called officers and turned himself in.
Authorities found Mehmood in the parking lot of a Panera on El Dorado near I-45 around 10:30 p.m., where he was taken into custody on an unrelated charge of furnishing alcohol to a minor.
Officers said Mehmood told them he had thrown a gun in a nearby field, but there is no word on whether it’s been found.
Stanton says the 27-year-old is cooperating with investigators.
“He has confessed to his actions,” said Stanton.
Mehmood is being held at the Galveston County Jail with no bond and appeared before a judge Friday evening.
Detectives believe Mehmood may have spoken with several people in between the time he allegedly committed the crimes and the time he was arrested.
The suspected killer took to Facebook after the alleged crimes and posted: “I’m sorry.. I was a great man to everyone.. I do apologize ohh and thanks for firing me. Sorry to my family and my girlfriend family and most of all sorry to queen Kimaria Nelson.”
EXCLUSIVE: The Facebook Post accused child killer Junaid Mehmood left for friends JUST AFTER (allegedly) murdering three young children and shooting their mother. KPRC2 / Click2Houston
Posted by KPRC2 Joel Eisenbaum on Friday, January 4, 2019
He stated he lost his job at Goodwill in League City, but a representative said the 27-year-old “abruptly resigned” on Dec. 31, 2018.
"We are shocked and devastated by this tragic situation involving a former Goodwill Houston employee. Mr. Mehmood abruptly resigned from his job with Goodwill Houston on 12/31/18. Our hearts go out to the families and friends who are forever affected by this tragic event."
On Thursday night, authorities said a 911 caller told police where he was and waited for police to arrive.
Authorities found Mehmood in the parking lot of a Panera on El Dorado near I-45, where he was taken into custody on an unrelated charge of furnishing alcohol to a minor.
Officers said Mehmood told them he had thrown a gun in a nearby field, but there is no word on whether it’s been found.
Officers said Mehmood is the father of Ashanti and lived at the apartment with Nelson and the children.
Family members told KPRC2 that Mehmood and Nelson were dating. They also told KPRC2 Nelson was the mother of all three children and that Ashanti was born Nov. 23.
"When I pulled up (to the police station last night) I said, 'This ain’t good.' You know. And when I got out, I found that out," said Nelson's father, Taurus Nelson. "My grandbabies ain’t do nothing to him. They didn’t deserve that. No kid deserves that. I’m glad he turned himself in."
The grandmother of the three children said that she saw Mehmoon unraveling over the last week.
"The way he acted, he was going off. He was cussing, and he grabbed a Bible, started reading out the Bible," Kim Hosea said.
Hosea said Mehmood became unstable and unpredictable shortly after Christmas.
"He was fired from his job at Goodwill. Every job he got, he got fired," Hosea said.
Goodwill said Mehmood resigned on New Year's Eve.