Inset: Gaurav Chopra (Hidalgo County Jail).
Days before Father”s Day, a Texas man allegedly shot his dad, mom and grandmother to death before he tried to kill his brother but narrowly missed.
Gaurav Chopra, 19, stands accused of capital murder of multiple persons in the shooting deaths of his father Sweeta Ram, 56, mother Kamlesh Rani, 46, and grandmother Minder Kaur, 73. He’s also facing an attempted capital murder charge for shooting at his brother.
Hidalgo County Sheriff J.E. “Eddie” Guerra told reporters that cops responded shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday to a home in the 3700 block of Roosevelt Avenue in Alton, which is in southeast Texas.
The 911 caller said his brother, Chopra, had “killed his family” and tried to shoot him, too. Chopra fled the scene in a white Lexus. As cops were descending on the scene, one deputy spotted the Lexus leaving the gated subdivision.
Chopra allegedly fled the deputy and later crashed into two other cars. He was arrested. Deputies recovered a 9mm gun inside the car believed to be the murder weapon.
Back at the home, deputies discovered all three victims on the second floor suffering from gunshot wounds to the head. Rani and Kaur were pronounced dead at the scene. Ram later died at a hospital.
Guerra said investigators are still trying to determine a motive.
Ram owned a local motel and event center and was well respected in the community.
“He was a high-spirited, motivating person and always had positive things to say. I never heard him say a negative thing,” Palmview Mayor Rick Villarreal told local NBC/CBS affiliate KVEO.
Ram was happy to host various events and celebrations for the community.
“Any time we asked, he never said no,” Villarreal told the TV station. “We had several functions, a Christmas celebration, our Thanksgiving, employee recognitions. He always provided the best food.”
Chopra remains in the Hidalgo County Jail without bond. His next court date is unclear. KRGV reports that he was a student at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
