A husband and wife are dead, following what Cameron County Sheriff's investigators called a murder-suicide.
Investigators said the 9-1-1 call came from the home located at the 1000 block of North Illinois Avenue, outside of Brownsville very early on Sunday morning.
Police quickly responded to a call by the couple's 21-year-old son. According to Cameron County deputies, the son witnessed the crime.
Sheriff Omar Lucio told Action 4 News the victim's son heard gun shots coming from his parent's bedroom.
He walked in to find his 38-year-old mother, Maria del Socorro Gonzalez, on the floor. Immediately after, the son allegedly witnessed his father, 43-year-old Sergio Candelario Lamas, shoot himself in the head.
According to Sheriff Lucio, Gonzalez and Lamas had been arguing prior to the shooting. What’s more Lamas had a history of family violence. “He had been arrested from between 2002 to 2004,” he said. “We have some information here that he'd been arrested for family disturbances… for family violence.”
Lucio also said that at this time the reason as to why the husband shot his wife is under investigation.
Also unknown is the number of shots fired.
Although, sheriff’s deputies said the weapon used was a nine millimeter gun.
Action 4 learned that Lamas has a long history of run-ins with the law:
• In 2004, he pleaded guilty or no contest to a drug possession charge, a felony.
• In 1996, a charge against him for assault or attempted murder was dismissed.
• He pleaded guilty or no contest to a DWI charge in 1989.
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