2 Brothers Shot and Killed Attempting to Help Neighbor Fleeing Abusive Boyfriend: Police

A woman attempting to flee her boyfriend during an alleged domestic dispute took her children next door where three brothers lived, only for tragedy to strike when they came outside to confront the man -- leading to a shocking double murder-suicide.

Two brothers are dead after a shocking altercation with a neighbor turned violent last Thursday night in Harris County, Texas, per CBS affiliate KHOU.

Police are investigating the double murder of two brothers who were allegedly shot by their neighbor when they became involved in a domestic dispute. The victims have been identified as Edward Lopez-Robles, 50, and Luis Lopez-Robles, 31.

According to Sergeant Jason Brown of the Harris County Sheriff's Office, per CrimeOnline, a woman was involved in a domestic dispute with her live-in boyfriend, identified as Carlos Guerra, around 11 p.m.

As it escalated, she allegedly took her two teenage sons and fled to their neighbors' house, fearing for her safety. Three brothers lived together in that house, and welcomed her and her children inside, per The New York Post.

When the boyfriend allegedly followed the woman to the neighbors' house, two of the brothers went outside to confront him, according to local police. It was at this point that he allegedly pulled out a gun and began firing at them, striking and killing both of them.

Police reported that the third brother rushed out with his own gun and returned fire, at which point the boyfriend purportedly turned and ran back to his own home. When police arrived on the scene, they state that the suspect turned his gun on himself, committing suicide. He died at the scene.

Two of the three brothers also died.

FBI

A neighbor spoke with KHOU about the incident, saying that even though gunshots are a frequent occurrence, he was still shocked by what happened.

"I'm in shock because I never saw something like that before," Julio Franco told the outlet. "I parked, and I heard them, and I was like, okay I need to rush and go inside my house."

The brothers' next-door-neighbor on the other side, Alberto Hernandez, said he's struggled since the incident. "I saw the bodies lying on the ground. I haven't been able to sleep," he said. "It was 3 in the morning and their bodies were still lying on the ground."

Police noted that just a few days prior to the fatal altercation, they had received another call about family violence between the boyfriend and the girlfriend.

The surviving brother, the woman, and her children were not harmed in the altercation and are cooperating with police, according to officials. KHOU reports officials do not expect to file any charges against the surviving brother.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages; Calls are confidential and toll-free.