The Orange, Texas, home where four people were found shot to death on New Year’s Day (KFDM/screengrab)
Stunned neighbors in Orange, Texas, awoke to the news on New Year’s Day that four people were found dead in a home, each of them shot and killed in a tragic case that appears to be a murder-suicide.
The Orange Police Department at 7:50 a.m. responded to the scene on North 8th Street and found 53-year-old Bobby Kiel, 34-year-old Porsha Kiel, 33-year-old Lester Lewis and 17-year-old Janiya Lewis fatally shot in what was deemed an “isolated incident” with no broader threat to the community.
The reason for that investigative conclusion became clearer when a relative of Porsha Kiel’s told local CBS affiliate KFDM reported that authorities were operating under the belief that Lester Lewis shot the Kiels and Janiya Lewis before taking his own life.
While it is not clear what led to the early morning New Year’s Day shooting, it is clear that neighbors were shaken by the deaths of victims they were “friendly” with.
“Definitely sad. And I feel bad because that’s my neighbor and we’ve been here a long time. We are very friendly,” one anonymous neighbor told KFDM interview, before offering help. “If they need help, definitely I’m going to step in there and help them out. Anything they want.”
Neighbor Chris Enard separately told local ABC and NBC affiliate KBMT that he was speechless that Bobby Kiel, someone he barbecues with on Sundays and has known for two decades, was killed at the very start of the new year.
“I don’t have words right now. I came off of work about 2′ o clock in the morning and cop knocked on my door,” he said. “He was like did you hear any gunshots at like 8′ o clock in the morning. I was like yeah I’ve been hearing fire crackers and stuff go off.”
“About 9′ o clock I saw the yellow tape and I was like man what the hell happened,” Enard added.
Enard then stated that the shooting was “not a good way to start the new year off.”
Last year ended with numerous murder-suicides during the holiday season across the country, even on New Year’s Eve.
On New Year’s Day in Hawaii, a 71-year-old man found his daughter shot to death by her ex-boyfriend. Cops said a rifle was found near his body.
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