James Ayala. (Facebook)
A 17-year-old Texas teen killed an Army veteran before fatally shooting himself in a “troubling love triangle,” police say.
James Ayala, 25, was shot to death by the unidentified teen outside of a friend’s home in Katy, KTRK-TV reports.
His accused killer then shot himself in the parking lot of a Harris County Sheriff’s Office substation, the news station reports. The teen found out his girlfriend was cheating on him with the victim, a friend told KTRK.
The shooting occurred around midnight Sunday.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Ayala Was Lured to a Friend’s House by the Teen & Then Shot, Police Say
(Facebook)
The teen suspect, who has not yet been identified, allegedly lured James Ayala to a friend’s house before the killing, the friend, Darian Mitchell, told KHOU-TV.
“I don’t know why he was tripping over this one girl, but it was not worth it.” Mitchell said about the teen.
Mitchell said he was with the teen when he got a call from his girlfriend, who told him she was cheating on him right now. Mitchell said he told the girlfriend and the other man to come to Mitchell’s house.
The teen and Ayala then got into an argument when they arrived, and the teen shot the Army veteran, Mitchell said.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting remains under investigation.
2. The Teen Was Turning Himself in With His Mother When He Killed Himself
On Sunday at about 5 a.m., the teen and his mother went to a Harris County Sheriff substation after he confessed to her about the shooting, the Associated Press reports.
A sergeant went out to meet them.
“His mom got out of the vehicle and stated that her son shot someone earlier that day and that he was a person of interest,” Sergeant Cedrick Collier told the AP. Collier was not the sergeant involved in the incident.
Collier said the sergeant drew his weapon and asked the teen if it was true, and he responded “yes,” before pulling a gun and shooting himself in the head. The teen was taken to a hospital and later died.
“She’s obviously destroyed because she just witnessed her son commit suicide in front of her,” he said.
3. Ayala Was a Father of 5 & Was a Sergeant in the Army
(Facebook)
Ayala was a father of five and was a former sergeant in the Army, his family told KTRK-TV.
His brother told the news station Ayala was a good man and they are devastated by his death. Ayala served in Iraq.
“It’s so sad and crazy that he risked his life all of that time defending our country, only to come back here and be murdered by some kid with a gun,” a family member told KPRC-TV.
4. He Was a ‘Standout Guy in the Army’
(Facebook)
Friends and fellow veterans mourned Ayala on social media, including Jordan Downhour, who thanked Ayala for the guidance he gave him in the military.
“He took me under his wing and picked me up in Brigade. He showed me all the ropes,” Downhour told the Houston Chronicle. “I wish he would’ve stayed in. I think this wouldn’t have happened.”
Downhour was stationed with Ayala at Fort Stewart in Georgia.
5. The Suspect Was in High School & Was ‘Turning His Life Around’
The suspect, who has not yet been named, was a student at Morton Ranch High School. He had recently become mixed up in the wrong crowd, a neighbor told KHOU, but was turning his life around.
“He sounded like he was doing good. He had a job, he was getting his car,” Aaron Summerhour told the news station. “He had everything together and now that I hear this, it’s unreal, you know what I mean?”
