A mother was gunned down on Friday, allegedly by her on-and-off-again boyfriend, in front of her children in southwest Houston, police say.
The Houston Police Department says the mother was found shot on Bird Run Drive in the Missouri City area around 7 p.m. on Friday.
According to Lt. Larry Crowson, the man and woman got into a fight before he shot her and fled the area in a white Nissan Altima.
Family members have identified the mother as 38-year-old Jameka Williams. According to her sister, she has four children, two of them with the man who is accused of shooting her.
Williams’ family said three of her children, 14, 12, and 7 years old, were witnesses to the shooting.
Jaterra Williams said her 14-year-old niece called her that night.
“She stated, ‘My daddy just killed my momma,'”Jaterra Williams said. “It hurts because the fact the kids had to experience a traumatic experience like that, and that’s the last memories they will see of their mother.”
According to Jaterra, her sister and her boyfriend have been on and off since high school but recently broke up. Before the shooting, she said her sister was getting ready to go out with friends, and he grew jealous.
“When he saw her flat ironing her hair, getting ready to hang with friends, he said, ‘You’re not going anywhere. Today is the day,’ and that’s when he got the gun and pulled it out on her,” Jaterra said.
Family members said he had made threats before, but they never thought he would act on them.
“She showed me text messages where he was threatening her that he was going to kill her and whoever she is talking to,” Jaterra said.
Recently, city leaders convened to share domestic violence numbers in the Houston area. The police chief said 18% of murders are domestic violence-related.
“If a guy or girl is telling you they will hurt you or kill you or anything else, I would say leave after the first sign,” Jaterra said. “You have to believe it.”
Her children are now trying to process the loss and what they had to witness.
Jameka’s eldest son spoke about the ordeal.
“My mom always talked about me graduating now that I am finally a senior,” Jayden Williams, her son, said. “It’s supposed to be me and her year. She always talked about my prom, coming to my games and watching me walk that stage as a senior. I’m not just a senior but a senior with honors.”
The family has created a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses.
Police have not released the name of the suspected shooter.