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James Ayala: Army Sergeant Killed By Teen In Love Triangle Murder-Suicide

By Tara Dodrill
Published on: 01:02 PST, Feb 22, 2016

James Ayala, an Army sergeant, was shot and killed by a 17-year-old teenager in a love triangle Texas murder-suicide. The teenager was ultimately driven to the sheriff’s office to turn himself in by his mother. Once the mother and son arrived in the parking lot and spoke with a law enforcement officer, the unidentified teen took out a gun and shot himself dead.

Army Sergeant James Ayala, 25, was shot and killed on Sunday morning in Harris County, Texas, according to an ABC News report. Few details are currently known about Ayala, the teen murder-suicide suspect, or the young woman both men were reportedly enamored with. The sergeant was reportedly a father of five.

Harris County Sheriff’s Officer Sergeant Cedrick Collier told local reporters that a vehicle pulled into the parking lot at the station and sat with its headlights on. The deputy approached the car and spoke to the woman in the driver’s seat. The woman, the mother of the teenager, said she had brought her son to the office so that he could turn himself in for the murder that had happened in the town of Katy earlier the same day.

Sergeant Collier said he then drew his sidearm after the young man took out his own weapon. He asked the 17-year-old teenager if what his mother said was true, the teen answered that it was. The Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy said that he repeatedly told the teenager to drop his weapon, but the suspect refused to comply. The teen, who was standing outside of the vehicle near his mother, stepped behind the car, aimed his gun and shot himself in the head.

The teenage murder-suicide suspect was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The murder of James Ayala occurred at a home belonging to Darian Mitchell, a friend of the teenager. Mitchell lived on Katy Briar Lane.

According to Mitchell, his 17-year-old friend recently found out that his girlfriend was cheating on him with Ayala. He called his girlfriend and asked that both she and the Army sergeant come talk to him at Mitchell’s house. After the new couple arrived at the home, the teen reportedly pulled out a gun and shot Ayala.

“When he shot him, his girlfriend started screaming and then he ran,” Mitchell said. “And then he shot again, and then everyone started coming out and screaming,” he added about the very early morning hours shooting.

It is currently unclear if the teen suspect was drinking or on drugs at the time of the murder.

A neighbor of Mitchell’s, Mohammad Qureshi, told members of the local media that the block is usually very quiet and peaceful. Qureshi said he just does not understand how the shooting happened there, noting that the neighborhood is a lot like a big family.

KHOU News reports that Ayala’s body was found lying in the street after he was shot multiple times. A witness to the shooting said that he saw two men run to a small white car and flee the scene after the sound of gunfire rang out in the neighborhood.

Both the murder of Army Sergeant James Ayala and the suicide at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office remain under investigation. Local law enforcement officials will not be releasing specifics about either of the related cases until the review of what occurred is completed. The name of the young woman reportedly at the heart of the love triangle has not yet been released.

[Image via Shutterstock.com]

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