Inset: Vivian Savella (Family attorney). Background: The crime scene outside the house where Vivian was shot and killed in Houston, Texas (Houston Police Department).
A 4-year-old Texas girl was shot and killed by her mother after the parent lost a custody battle, Lone Star State police say.
The victim in the case has been identified as Vivian Savella, the family”s attorney revealed in a statement on Tuesday.
“Our family is devastated,” the statement begins. “Vivian was four years old. She was loved without limit by her father, Aaron, and by everyone whose life she touched. There are no words for what has been taken from us.”
The mother has yet to be identified and is currently in the hospital after shooting herself, according to the Houston Police Department. The 30-year-old woman is expected to survive.
The incident occurred on Tuesday evening at a residence on Terra Reserve Place in far west Houston. Officers were called just after 5:45 p.m. about a shooting and found Vivian dead at the scene, police said.
Police said other people were in the house when the shooting occurred, according to Houston-based CBS affiliate KHOU.
“After that custody hearing they came home,” a police department spokesperson said. “The stepfather and a babysitter were downstairs. They heard gunshots upstairs. Went upstairs and found the victims.”
The stepfather attempted to perform CPR on the little girl, but to no avail, police said.
Police said the mother was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The family court judge overseeing the dispute had just granted custody of Vivian to her father, according to sources “close to the family,” local ABC affiliate KTRK reported. The mother was reportedly supposed to turn the girl over to her father on Tuesday night.
That report was confirmed by the family’s statement, which was published in full on Wednesday by local NBC affiliate KPRC. The father was identified in the statement by only his first name.
“[Vivian’s father] Aaron did everything the law asks of a parent who is trying to protect his child,” the statement goes on. “He trusted the courts. He followed every order. He waited for the process to work. On Tuesday, a judge placed Vivian in his primary care, and she was supposed to come home to him that evening. She never did.”
Investigators later spoke with the stepfather and the babysitter, according to law enforcement. The investigation is ongoing, police said.
The family’s statement ends with pleas for understanding.
“We ask the public to remember that there are fathers everywhere who fight quietly, patiently, and within the law to protect their children,” the message concludes. “Their stories are rarely told, and they should be. We are grateful to everyone who has reached out with kindness. We ask for privacy as we grieve.”
