During a Texas Child Protective Services visit on Friday, an attack at a residence in Texas resulted in the deaths of three children and the injury of another two, according to police.
According to Ellis County Sheriff’s Deputy Jerry Cozby, the sheriff’s deputies responded to a complaint at roughly 4 p.m. local time on South Harris Street in Italy, which is situated about 40 miles south of Dallas.
When they arrived, they discovered numerous victims, including three children who had died and two others who had been seriously hurt and were transferred to nearby hospitals. According to Cozby, all of the victims were minors.
According to the sheriff’s office, Shamaiya Deyonshana Hall, 25, was detained and charged with three counts of capital murder in connection with the event. Her detention is under a $6 million bond.
According to the sheriff’s office, the killings took place during a home visit by Texas Child Protective Services, during which the caseworker made the decision to take the kids out of the house. The caseworker dialed 911, and the victims were found by the responding deputies.
A 4-year-old boy and his 13-month-old daughter were “seriously wounded,” according to the sheriff’s office, while a 6-year-old boy and a 5-year-old boy were found dead.
In its most recent report, the sheriff’s office did not explicitly state that the suspect and the victims were related.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services released a statement in which it stated that it was “shocked by this unfathomable tragedy” and that it was already cooperating with police authorities to look into how and why it occurred.
The victims’ relative, Shamelia Anderson, told the ABC Dallas affiliate WFAA that the kids went to the elementary school right across the street from their house.
She said to the station, “They got their wings. “There were adorable tiny babies.”
The Texas Rangers are assisting the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office in conducting the investigation.
The superintendent of the Italy Independent School District, Rachel Kistner, stated that the district is “truly grieved by the tragedy that occurred off-campus” and that it is assisting local law enforcement authorities with their investigation.
Words, in the district’s and the community’s words, “cannot reflect the immense anguish felt at hearing of such a tragedy,” Kistner said in a statement. We are a small, close-knit community; therefore, this occurrence will have an effect on a lot of students.
She indicated that the district will offer counseling on Saturday and the following week.