Convicted murderer shoots wife, kills man trying to intervene outside Texas plant: Police
A convicted murderer who was out on parole shot and injured his wife and killed her co-worker who tried to intervene during a domestic incident in the parking lot of a Texas plant, according to police.
The gunman then turned the firearm on himself and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
The deadly shooting occurred Tuesday morning in the parking lot of Texarkana Aluminum in Nash, according to police.
Officers responded at approximately 6:37 a.m. and located the body of the suspect, identified as Wendell Lane Champion Jr., 40, of Hope, Arkansas, according to the Nash Police Department.
Officers also located the body of one of the victims -- Eddie Ray Hill Jr., 48, an employee of Texarkana Aluminum -- police said. The suspect's wife -- 37-year-old Candis Jolene Champion, another employee of the plant -- was found injured, police said.
Authorities said they believe this was a "domestic-related incident" between the suspect and his wife.
"When victim Eddie Ray Hill, Jr. arrived at work, he attempted to intervene in the domestic incident and was shot and killed by the suspect," the Nash Police Department said in a press release. "The suspect then shot and seriously injured his wife before killing himself."
There were several witnesses to the shooting, according to Nash Police Chief Kelly Dial.
Candis Champion was in stable condition and being treated at a nearby hospital, police said.
The shooting remains under investigation, and there are no other suspects at this time, police said.
Texarkana Aluminum said it set up a crisis response team that is working with authorities investigating the incident.
"The safety of our employees and the public at large is our primary concern," the company said in a statement. "We would like to offer our sympathies to those involved and to their families."
Wendell Champion did not work at Texarkana Aluminum, the company said.
He was convicted of first-degree murder in Harris County, Texas, in 2010 and released on parole last year, police said.
He was indicted on capital murder in 2007 in the fatal shooting of a security officer during a robbery at a Houston business, according to police.
He pleaded guilty to murder, with the offense reduced from a capital felony, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison, online court records show.
