Texas high school sophomore Lauren Juma was shot dead by her mother's gun-toting boyfriend early Friday morning while being held captive at home, authorities said. The 16-year-old student was pronounced dead at the scene in the Houston suburb of Humble.
Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff's Office have arrested the suspected shooter, with 60-year-old Van Brisbon booked into jail on a charge of murder. According to a report by ABC13, a sergeant quoted Brisbon as telling police, "You do what you have to do," at the time of his arrest.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez issued a statement regarding Brisbon's arrest, saying he was not cooperative with investigators, and a motive for the murder is unknown at this time. The sheriff said that the tragic incident began unfolding just after 1 a.m. on Friday, April 29, when Lauren's sister called 911 to report that Brisbon, their mother's live-in boyfriend, held the teenager at gunpoint.
Multiple gunshots kill Lauren Juma
Deputies rushed to the scene, but tragedy struck as they were approaching the front door of the family's home in the 20400 block of Canton Trace Lane in Humble, with officers hearing multiple gunshots. Brisbon exited the house after the shooting and was detained. According to the New York Post, deputies found Juma dead inside the home, with police saying she had been shot multiple times.
Juma's older sister was not inside the house at the time of the shooting. She was standing outside. On the other hand, their mother was out of town when the incident transpired. The slain girl's father said that Juma was a sophomore at Nimitz High School.
According to him, Juma's dream was to become a police officer or join the military when she grew up. She had just made the cheerleading team in her high school and dreamed of joining her sister in the U.S. Air Force after graduation. The heartbroken father described his daughter as hardworking and sweet. Juma is survived by her brother and three sisters.
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Lauren Juma's mother and sister emotional after her death
Click2Houston reported that the tragic series of events started early Friday morning when the victim Facetimed with one of her older sisters and her mother. According to Juma's sister Keryca Harmon, Lauren told her at around 1 a.m. that Brisbon was being weird. Juma then asked her sister to come pick her up.
Unfortunately for Harmon, she never got to see her sister alive again. Harmon was emotional when recalling the shooting, saying, "By the time I got there, the police were already out there searching around the house. I was there about three minutes before I heard two gunshots go off, and I ran toward the house."
Laurie Young did not mince any words when talking about her boyfriend, saying, "He can rot in jail. He had no reason for taking my baby's life. Sixteen years old."
