Three Dead, One Injured in Shooting on Virginia Ave in Temple

UPDATE 8:06 PM: Temple PD Public Information Officer Shawana Neely has released the identities of the adults who lost their lives in today's shooting incident.

The mother of the 4-year-old victim has been identified as 36-year-old Shelly Splittgerber. She was found outside the home along with her son, and had passed away as a result of gunshot wounds by the time officers arrived.

64-year-old Sherry Gray was found inside the home with the gunman, also deceased.

The gunman was identified as 36-year-old Matthew Splittgerber.

UPDATE 5:45 PM: Our news partners at KWTX report that the child injured in Thursday morning's shooting in Temple was a 4-year-old boy, and he was shot at least four times. He was listed as being in critical condition at Baylor Scott & White Hospital.

According to KWTX, a person with knowledge about the case said the boy and his mother had recently moved into the child's grandmother's house on West Virginia Avenue. The gunman reportedly parked up the street from the home and ambushed the mother and son shortly before 6:09 AM. The mother died at the scene. The gunman later fatally shot the boy's grandmother and himself.

UPDATE 2:22 PM: Temple police have released more details about this morning's shooting on West Virginia Avenue, which prompted lockdowns at nearby Lamar Middle School and Jefferson Elementary.

As reported below, police responded to a report of shots at a home in the 100 block of W. Virginia at 6:09 AM.

When officers arrived, they found a male child and an adult woman lying wounded on the lawn of a home. The woman had passed away, but the child showed signs of life.

Officers called an ambulance to the scene. As EMS was loading the child into the emergency vehicle, shots were heard inside the front portion of the home. Officers backed away and began securing the area around the house, and were evacuating people from nearby homes when an armored unit arrived on scene.

Police contacted school officials and established a presence at Lamar Middle School to ensure student safety.

A SWAT team established a perimeter around the home as a negotiation unit tried to establish contact with the gunman. When attempts at communication failed, SWAT officers began making entry into the home, at which point they heard several gunshots. They found the gunman and a woman dead inside.

Police have not released details about the gunman's relationship to the shooting victims.

The child who was injured is said to be in stable condition at Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Temple.

UPDATE 11:45 AM: Temple ISD will release Lamar Middle School students at 12:30 PM. Parents wishing to pick their kids up may do so at the corner of Shell and 1st.

Temple police say three people, including the gunman, are dead and one person is injured after a shooting at a home near Miller Park Thursday morning.

At the scene, TPD spokeswoman Shawana Neely said police responded to a shots fired disturbance at a home in the 100 block of Virginia Ave at 6:09 AM. Upon arrival, they found two victims lying in the front yard. When they tried to render aid, they heard shots fired and called for a SWAT team.

Neely said one of the victims in the yard was a female who was "obviously deceased", and the other was a child. The child was transported to Baylor Scott & White Hospital. The child's age, gender, and condition were not revealed.

When SWAT arrived, they attempted to make contact with the suspect and believed there might be another victim inside with him. After attempts to make contact with the suspect proved unsuccessful, police heard shots and entered the home. They found the gunman and a woman dead.

We are awaiting more information.

Nearby Lamar Middle School and Jefferson Elementary were placed on soft lockdown as a precaution while police attempted to negotiate with the suspect. As we stood at the corner of 1st and Shell across from Lamar, we observed students being dropped off and safely guided into the school by staff and police. Employees were being directed to park their vehicles at Miller Park and walk across to Lamar.

There does not appear to have been any danger to students or staff at either school.