CONROE, Texas – A 5-year-old possibly witnessed a murder inside his grandmother’s home on Monday, police said.
According to the Conroe Police Department, they found the boy’s grandmother shot to death after an officer fatally shot a man who pulled a gun on him.
A woman called 911 about a domestic disturbance at 1:35 p.m., but the call disconnected. So, dispatchers sent officers to the home near Hildred and Thompson.
When officers approached the front door, they heard a man and woman arguing, according to detectives.
Police opened the unlocked front door then saw a woman pulling herself away from a man’s grasp, investigators said. The woman, 24, ran outside while officers warned the man, Joseph Alian, 25, to show his hands and lie on the ground, according to police.
Instead, the man grabbed a low caliber handgun and aimed it at police, investigators said.
Lt. John Buckholtz with Conroe Police confirms Alian was shot and killed by a CPD sergeant who has 13-years of experience on the force.
CPD said Alian was linked through the 24-year-old woman, because the two once had a romantic relationship, but Alian showed up to the home on Monday, after the woman ended it.
A short time later after the shooting, investigators searched the house and found the body of Denise Russell, 52, in a private bathroom. She had gunshot wounds, detectives said.
Neighbors said Russell often kept her 5-year-old grandson. Russell’s daughter visited frequently too, they said.
They said Russell never told them she sensed danger.
“She never felt threatened,” a neighbor who only identified herself as Amanda. “She was a bright sunny person. So, I’m definitely shocked about this.”
Investigators also found Russell’s grandson hiding in the house after the shooting. It is not clear what he saw or heard. Detectives sent him to be interviewed by a forensic psychologist.
Police are also asking for child advocacy counselors to help them with the interview.
Conroe Police believe their officer likely saved the lives of Russell’s daughter and grandson.