Two days after three teenage girls were killed in what deputies call a murder-suicide in a Galena Park-area home, family members are speaking out to remember their loved ones.
The shooting happened Saturday night in the 2000 block of 2nd Street, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
An investigation revealed that a 38-year-old man – the boyfriend of the mother of two of the victims – shot and killed the teenagers before sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl. The man then turned the gun on himself, police said.
The mother was not home, but her boyfriend of about two years was home with her three daughters, a teenage neighbor, and her 1-year-old granddaughter, deputies said.
@HCSOTexas CSI & Homicide Investigators are enroute to the City of Galena Park. Units responded to the 2000 blk of 2nd street and found 4 unresponsive individuals who suffered gunshot wounds. The four were pronounced deceased at the scene. No other details at this time. pic.twitter.com/zxA5JpQj9j
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) February 19, 2023
We don’t know the details of what led up to the shooting, but a family friend identified two of the victims as 19-year-old Sayuri Gil, who was six months pregnant, and 13-year-old Melany Torres. They were the older sisters of the 12-year-old, and Sayuri was the mother of a 1-year old.
Below is a photo the family shared of Sayuri.
Below is a photo of Melany.
Both of them survived.
The third victim was identified by her family as 14-year-old Laisha Perez, who lived in the neighborhood.
After the shooting, deputies said the man sexually assaulted the 12-year-old before telling her to run away. She was able to grab her 1-year-old niece and run to a nearby house without any clothes to seek help, according to the sheriff’s office.
A neighbor’s Ring camera captured the girl running for her life, and that’s when they called Galena Park police.
The suspect ended up shooting and killing himself by the time authorities arrived.
Investigators have not shared any details into the motive.
The family says the teenagers were happy and positive young ladies.
“They were happy girls. They were always smiling. Even when I was feeling bad, they always had a positive comment. Always. Both of them,” Suzanna Villa Franca, a family friend, said.
Friends also expressed their gratitude to the neighbors who helped the girl and baby who survived.
Villa Franca said the man was nice and they were shocked to learn what happened. The suspect has not been publicly identified by investigators.
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to go toward the victims’ funeral services. Any money left over will go towards helping the 12-year-old receive therapy.