Man kills 12-year-old twin daughters in Texas

FROST, Texas Authorities said a Texas man shot and killed his 12-year-old twin daughters and killed himself last week while threatening his family with death.

Larry Thompson, 48, killed his daughters and then himself, Texas Rangers said Thursday. Rangers and the Navarro County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the February 9 shooting.

The Navarro County Sheriff’s Office said Thompson’s wife asked for a welfare check at a home in Frost, a city of about 600 people located about 50 miles (80 km) south of Dallas.

She told police that she had left the night before with her children due to a disagreement with her husband, the sheriff’s office said. As she turned toward the house, she thought she heard a single shot, went out and called the sheriff’s office.

Upon arrival, police learned that Thompson was armed with a gun and threatened to kill the family and police if anyone tried to take his children away, the sheriff’s office said.

The deputies also spoke to Thompson’s mother, who was in the house talking to Thompson and the children. A few minutes after she left the house, the police heard two shots, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office said a SWAT team was called in, and when attempts to contact anyone inside the house were unsuccessful, the team went inside and found the bodies.