Mom suspected of shooting sons, husband before killing herself at San Luis Resort.
The Galveston Police Department says officers were alerted to the sounds of “pops” coming from the eighth floor around 4:30 a.m. Monday. When police arrived at the room, the door was dead-bolted from the inside and they heard “faint moaning.”
Once the officers gained entry they found a 39-year-old man, a 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old boy lying in bed, all with gunshot wounds. The also say a 37-year-old woman was found was found on the floor with a gunshot wound to the head.
“The motive is unknown at this time, but forensic data collected at the scene indicates that the female is believed to be the shooter at this time, and is believed to have killed her two children and her husband before apparently taking her own life with a 9mm handgun found adjacent to her body,” wrote the Galveston Police Department.
Police say the woman and one of the boys were unresponsive but appeared to be alive; they were transported to UTMB where they were pronounced dead.
UTMB identified the woman as Flor de Maria Pineda. Goose Creek Consolidated School District confirms both of the boys attended Victoria Walker Elementary as a 5th grader and kindergarten student.
The family checked in at the San Luis Resort around 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. Police believe it to be a case of murder-suicide, and they are not looking for any suspects.
“It’s definitely not one of those things we experience here in Galveston very often and that this community has to experience very often,” said Captain Joshua Schirard. “Neither is it one of those things that a family will ever want to have to experience.”
Paul Schultz, Vice President of Hospitality for Landry’s Inc., released the following statement Monday afternoon:
Our thoughts are with the victims and their family members during this difficult time. We are still gathering information about this isolated incident, however it appears to have been a murder suicide amongst a family in their room.
We are fully cooperating with the Police Department during their investigation and will assist them in any way we can. Since this is under investigation by the Galveston Police Department, please contact 409-765-3702 for specific details surrounding the matter.
