Texas man fatally shoots wife and two children, 13 and 16, for yelling too loudly while he had a headache
DALLAS, TEXAS: A Texas father has been arrested and charged after he killed his wife and two teenage children at their Far East Dallas home because they were being "too loud." The horrific incident first came to light around 11 am on Monday, August 31, when 57-year-old James Manning, who also goes by James Webb, called an alarm company to report that he had shot dead his family, according to WLTX.
The alarm company promptly notified the police, with Dallas Deputy Chief Reuben Ramirez confirming that his officers received a call for service at an apartment in the 2600 block of John West Road at the time. Ramirez said the alarm company told them they had received a call "from a man who claimed he had shot his family." When officers arrived at the scene and went into the apartment, they found three people dead inside — a woman and two children, aged 13 and 16. Officials have not released any of their names or identities. Also inside the home was a handgun believed to be the murder weapon, and Webb, who reportedly offered no resistance as he was taken into custody.
"This is a horrible scene. This is a horrific incident. Our hearts go out to everyone that’s touched by this," Ramirez said of the shooting.
Webb was subsequently interviewed at the Dallas police headquarters, where he confessed to killing his wife and children. An arrest affidavit states the 57-year-old and his wife woke up on August 31 morning and started arguing around 10 am because he had a headache and felt that she and the children were being "too loud." The fight escalated and, at one point, he grabbed his gun and shot all three. He then waited for an hour before calling for help. Dallas Police detectives shared that, in his interview, Webb also said he had been tired of all three members of his family "for yelling and telling him that there was nothing wrong with him, so he shot them."
Chanel Lockhart, who lived across the hall from the family, told Fox4 News she had just talked to the mother last week. "Last time I saw her, she was getting groceries out of the car and the boys were helping her," she recalled. "You would never think that he would do that. And she had a heart. She was so sweet to everybody. You’d never think that one day he would call and say he killed his kids."
Community activist Yaheim Israel, who founded The WatchMen nonprofit, told WLTX that he's worked in Webb's apartment complex many times before trying to educate people about their resources and their rights. "Feels like we were too late," he said. "If we’d have been more involved, might have been able to save a life or two." Homicide detectives have now obtained a search warrant to process the scene. Video shot at the location showed multiple police cars and a crime van outside the home, which had been cordoned with yellow tape. A white Nissan could be seen being towed away as well.
Webb has been charged with capital murder, a felony that is punishable by death penalty or life imprisonment. He is currently in police custody and his bond will be determined by a Dallas County Magistrate.