HOUSTON – A fifth person died Monday after a woman opened fire on her family members on Friday at three separate locations then died after turning the gun on herself, police said.
By sheer body count, it is the most violent crime in the Houston area this year.
Police believe that Dekitta Holmes shot and killed her 48-year-old sister, Carolyn Holmes, at her home in the 4800 block of Richmond Knolls in Fort Bend County. Police said they called Fort Bend County sheriff's deputies for a welfare check at the home in Fresno.
"Deputies made entry through a back door, and we had to force it open and we discovered an adult female, black female, deceased inside the residence," Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls said.
Investigators said Dekitta Holmes drove 15 miles to her home on La Salette Street and Mount Pleasant Street in southeast Houston and at some point shot an unidentified man there.
According to police, Dekitta Holmes walked to a home in the 3800 block of Mount Pleasant Street and shot her mother, 64-year-old Laverne Holmes, and her mother's boyfriend, 65-year-old Robert Lee Wesley.
Wesley was found dead at the scene.
"He's a good man. He minds his own business. He used to work at the store," said one neighbor.
Laverne Holmes was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The medical examiner's office confirmed Laverne Holmes died Monday.
The shooting spree ended when Dekitta Holmes killed herself, police said, but not before a final phone call to her niece, whose mother she is accused of killing.
"She told her that she harmed four people and that she wanted her children to stay together, please get them and make sure they stay together," Dekitta Holmes' friend, Delia Ledet, said.
Authorities are still investigating a motive in the shootings, but several people said Dekitta Holmes had been troubled and on medication.
"I've never known her to be an aggressive person. She's not a violent person. You know, so for this to happen, literally, is like jaw-dropping for us," Dekitta Holmes' friend Delia Ledet said.
Dekitta Holmes, 29, was a mother of three, with a background in criminal justice. She had no criminal history.