Galena Park murder-suicide: Man kills girlfriend’s daughters, family friend, then himself

After shooting the three teens, deputies say the 38-year-old Humberto Valdez-Saldana sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl, who was at the home, before telling her to run away. That’s when he turned the gun on himself.

It happened around 10:30 p.m. at a home on 2nd Street near N. Main St. and Clinton Dr.

A 12-year-old called the Galena Park Police Department and said she was sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend, who also shot people at the house. She told police that she grabbed her 1-year-old niece and ran to a neighbor’s house for help when she got the opportunity.

When authorities got to the home, they found three girls who had been shot to death. According to family members, sisters Sayuri Gill, 19, and Melany Torres, 13, were found dead. They said Gill was six months pregnant and the mother of the 1-year-old who survived the incident. A 14-year-old family friend was also killed in the shooting.

L to R: Laisha Perez, 14, Melany Torres, 13, Sayuri Gill, 19.

A 38-year-old man was found dead in the primary bedroom with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

The man was in a relationship with the homeowner, who is the mother of Gill, Torres and the surviving 12-year-old girl. Authorities said the mother wasn’t home at the time of the shootings. The man was also not the father of any of the girls he killed.

Humberto Valdez-Saldana

The man started shooting at the girls following an argument. He shot Gill before shooting Torres and the 14-year-old family friend, officials said. He then sexually assaulted the 12-year-old and told her to run for her life.

“After that, he told her to go ahead and run from the house … she did so and ran out of the residence without any clothing.”

The 12-year-old survivor was taken to a hospital to be treated for her injuries, the extent of which are unknown.

Maria Del Consuelo Reyes-Hernandez a neighbor, jumped in to help when she saw the 12-year-old and 1-year-old survivors. She said she saw the girl, who wasn’t wearing any clothes, carrying the baby. She and another neighbor brought the girls in and gave them some clothes.

Reyes-Hernandez said the girl told her what she had just endured. She said the girl told her that she ran from the house after she was sexually assaulted and told that she would be killed unless she left.

In Houston, domestic and family violence cases have increased at an alarming rate. Victims often suffer in silence because they feel scared, helpless or ashamed. 

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, here are some discreet ways to reach out for help.

The Houston Area Women’s Center has a 24-hour hotline for victims of domestic violence at 713-528-2121 or 1-800-256-0551.

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