According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, a Texas man has been taken into custody after he shot two family members on Sunday afternoon.
Gonzalez said the shooting occurred around 4 p.m. at an apartment complex off Fallbrook Drive, just off 249 inside the Beltway.
@HCSOTexas units responded to a shooting at an apt complex, 7610 Fallbrook. An adult male allegedly shot two adult family members. Both wounded persons have been transported in critical condition. The alleged shooter is detained. #HouNews pic.twitter.com/KWpXWEGBH8
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) January 14, 2024
According to the sheriff, a preliminary report found that an adult male, later identified as 23-year-old Wilman Sandoval, shot his 17-year-old brother and his brother’s 26-year-old fiancé. Both were taken to the hospital in critical condition but are now in fair condition and expected to survive.
According to Sheriff Gonzalez, the male victim stated when he was shot, he was able to try and assist his fiancé by trying to get her to safety, but she sustained several gunshot wounds. According to officials, Sandoval was detained at the scene.
Police were still searching through the apartment complex to see if there were any other witnesses. Gonzalez said five family members were living at the apartment and were all home at the time of the shooting, although there were no other injuries.
The local sheriff said that Sandoval accused the two members of performing witchcraft on him.
In February 2023, 44-year-old Hassan Shalgheen was arrested for inappropriate behavior, which included false imprisonment, after luring a woman into his apartment for a cleansing ritual.
According to an incident report, the two first met on social media. The victim described Shalgheen as a witch doctor and initially went to his apartment to be cleansed during a ritual.
According to police, the victim said the witch doctor forced her to take off her clothes and engaged in inappropriate behavior. The arrest warrant showed that she sent him two online payments totaling $500 for his services as a witch doctor.
Later that night, officers raided Shalgheen’s home and arrested him.
“We’re here to execute a search warrant. I’m going to have my copies here with me, and also, we got a search warrant for mucus swabs, DNA,” one of the officers told Shalgheen.
According to Harris County police, Sandoval has been arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated assault.
