Texas man dies after killing neighbour, setting house ablaze

SAN ANTONIO – Authorities in San Antonio said a man assaulted his wife, fatally shot a neighbour and set his house on fire before dying in a hail of gunfire with police.

Police Chief William McManus said the man “severely” beat his wife Tuesday afternoon, then opened fire on her as she ran away. The woman, who suffered severe facial injuries in the assault, wasn’t struck by gunfire, but a neighbour was, the police chief said.

McManus said the shooter set fire to his home shortly before officers arrived. Then, according to the police chief, the man “took a prone position” by lying down on his porch and opened fire with a rifle. It wasn’t clear who he was firing at, but the SWAT team returned fire. McManus said the man was fatally shot, though authorities don’t know whether he shot himself or was struck by the officers’ gunfire.

Meanwhile, 25 mph (40 kph) winds caused the fire at his home to spread to a neighbour’s house, San Antonio Police Chief Charles Hood said. Firefighters couldn’t immediately fight the blaze because the gunfire was ongoing.

“Until that suspect is down we’re not going to attack a fire,” Hood said. “We don’t want to become a victim.”

A vacant lot separated the suspect’s burning house and a nearby house that caught fire. Hood said it’s fortunate that vacant lot was there because “otherwise it probably would’ve burned this whole block down.”

No names have been released. Authorities said the wife is recovering in a hospital from her injuries.