Inset: Stanley Hardin (Montgomery County Sheriff”s Office). Background: A pickup truck allegedly crashed by Hardin into a house in Conroe, Texas (Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office).
A Texas man is behind bars after plowing his truck into a house and then shooting and killing his estranged wife and mother-in-law, according to law enforcement in the Lone Star State.
Stanley Earl Hardin, 57, stands accused of two counts of capital murder, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
The underlying incident occurred Monday afternoon on Shoreview Drive in Conroe — a large city some 40 miles north of Houston — and took the life of 50-year-old Tara Hardin, his wife, and 80-year-old Floris Wolford, her mother, according to the sheriff’s office.
Around 2 p.m., a 911 call came in from the defendant’s estranged wife, Montgomery County Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said during a press conference covered by Houston-based ABC affiliate KTRK.
The woman told dispatchers that her husband had crashed his vehicle into her home and was making his way inside, authorities said.
Shortly after, shots rang out; Hardin had entered the residence, according to police, and fired multiple rounds, killing the victims.
Both women were pronounced dead at the scene.
In footage of the aftermath obtained by KTRK, a black GMC Sierra pickup truck is seen crashed and lodged into the front of the house, having torn through vinyl siding, insulation, and a large window.
After the shooting, the defendant fled to his son’s house on foot and asked to be driven to his own home some 5 miles away from where the killings occurred, according to the sheriff’s office.
The defendant ultimately surrendered to police at a residence on Ivy Lane without incident, according to law enforcement. The surrender occurred, however, with the presence of SWAT team members because authorities were prepared for the possibility of additional violence, the sheriff said.
“They had set up a perimeter anticipating that it might be worse than what they had believed,” Doolittle said during the press conference, according to the Houston Chronicle. “There was information that he would shoot it out with law enforcement. It’s my belief that he talked to a family member and that he surrendered to our deputies at that scene.”
Investigators believe the couple had recently separated and that Hardin’s wife was staying with her mother at the time. By all indications, the estrangement was in the very early stages.
In comments to the TV station, neighbors said Tara Hardin had been seen at the husband’s house as recently as last week. The couple has adult children and previously lived together for years, neighbors added, saying any problems between the pair were not public knowledge.
“When there is high emotion, people are ending relationships and such, I would tell folks to contact the Montgomery County women’s shelter if they believe they are in danger,” Doolittle said.
The investigation is said to be ongoing.
Hardin is being detained in the Montgomery County Jail with no bond. The defendant has been identified as a military veteran by law enforcement.
“The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office extends our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the victims,” a statement issued on Facebook reads. “We recognize the profound impact this tragedy has had on our community and are committed to seeking justice for these women and their loved ones.”
