LAMPASAS, Texas (KXXV) — "I came into the house and we sat here and watched as cop after cop arrived — I wanted to leave by then but I was afraid to step outside," said Lampasas resident, Rick Messengir.
A completely damaged home, police tape and bullet holes — Messengir just got home from a trip from California when shots began to ring out around 2 p.m. Thursday on North Arnold Street.
"It's a shame that both of the ladies got killed across the street — they were sweet awesome ladies," he said.
Rick told 25 News' Marc Monroy he heard arguments again and again between the two victims and suspect weeks before the shooting happened.
"He started raving about the neighbors behind us about their dogs barking and he went over to check over there and the neighbors were yelling at him," Messengir said.
The situation only got worse.
"He said they didn't listen to him and they didn't do anything about the dogs and that somebody had to pay for that," Messengir said.
25 News spoke with Lampasas Police Chief Jody Cummings, who says multiple state dispatchers were at the scene.
"Several of our officers were able to get there quick where they soon found a door that had been seemingly forced open in the house," Cummings said.
That's when they found the two women dead.
"One was a 50-year-old white female, and the other an an 82-year-old white female," Cummings said.
Cummings says the suspect fired his gun inside the house and barricaded himself shortly after police and other agencies arrived to the scene.
"This is what we would call a standoff," she said.
Evacuation orders were put in place at around 9 p.m.
"We ended up spending the night at the Quality Inn just down the street," Messengir said.
Police confirmed the suspect was found dead in the home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"Shame of it is, they've got three young children that are now without a mother or a grandmother and I hope everybody will keep that in their prayers," Messengir said.
Others in the area say these type of things never happens in Northwest Lampasas, since it's normally a quiet, peaceful neighborhood.
