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Two Kids Escape Burning RV After Dad Shoots Their Mother

By Tabitha Britt
Published on: 03:09 PST, May 25, 2017

Dallas News reports that Arlington police found a man dead in a burning RV early Thursday morning after he shot the mother of his children, freed the kids, and killed himself at the end of a chase across several counties.

Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks told KTVT that the man shot the woman two or three times. Reports say the man and woman were in a romantic relationship. It’s still unclear whether the incident occurred in the RV or elsewhere.

The Details

According to Dallas News, the woman boarded the RV around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, when she reportedly texted 911 that she was about 10 miles east of Greenville, Texas, near I-30 and FM513.

“We’ve been kidnapped, I’ve been shot,” she messaged dispatch.

According to Arlington police spokesman Christopher Cook, the woman also noted that there were children with her.

KXAS-TV reports that the vehicle reached up to 90mph during the 80-mile chase.

Shortly after the woman contacted the authorities, she leaped from the vehicle onto I-30 in Royse City. The woman was then transported to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. Her condition is still unknown.

Cook claims that the children, one toddler and a 3-year-old, belong to the woman and the suspect.

The man continued to drive the RV through Rockwall and Dallas counties before entering Tarrant County around 4:40 a.m.

Authorities deployed several spike strips in hopes of stopping the RV. With shredded tires, the man continued driving on three axles, which scraped along the highway. Officers reportedly saw sparks flying from the vehicle as far back as Dallas County.

The RV reportedly became disabled in the westbound lanes of I-30 near Fielder Road in Arlington.

It was at this time that the RV began smoking. Authorities claim that the man appeared to have opened the door for the children to get out.

“It doesn’t appear that they escaped, it appears that he let them out,” Cook told Dallas News.

While police officers were securing the children, they heard a single gunshot come from inside the RV.

“At that point, the fire became more intense and we do believe that the individual inside the RV is deceased based upon the fire and potentially the gunshot,” Cook told Fox 4.

The children were transported to Arlington Memorial Hospital to be checked out.

At the time of the incident, Arlington and Grand Prairie police advised commuters in the area to avoid the scene. Authorities shut down the westbound lanes until 9 a.m. to remove any debris left over from the accident.

The eastbound lanes were also briefly closed until 5:45 a.m.

Suspect Calls Fox 4

Fox 4 reports that a man claiming to be the driver of the rampant RV called the television station during the chase. He admitted to shooting the woman in their RV.

According to Fox 4, the man said he shot his girlfriend of five years several times out of revenge. He claimed she showed at his place of work on Wednesday night and the two got into a fight. He said she was in his face, pointing her finger at him, trying to get him fired.

The man wasn’t clear about when he shot the woman but said that they had been involved in prior domestic incidents.

“She’s a work of art. I mean, she tried to kill herself, tried to kill me and she pretty much did kill herself,” the man told Fox 4 via phone. “I shot her once in the leg. I shot her twice, once in one leg, once in the other leg. One in the back.”

The Hunt’s County sheriff’s office and Rockwall police will lead the investigation into the shooting, reports Dallas News. Arlington police will conduct the investigation of the man.

No shots were fired by officers, Cook told Dallas News.

Those involved in the chase have yet to be identified.

[Feature Image by pattilabelle/Thinkstock]

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