Daughter gunned down by mother in Texas shooting was due to marry fiance today

Taylor Sheats who was gunned down along with her sister, Madison, by her own mother on Friday was to have been married today.

Daily Mail Online has learned that Taylor, 22, had planned to marry her fiancé, her boyfriend of four years, Juan Sebastian Lugo in a small ceremony today.

The couple then planned to have a larger wedding ceremony after her graduation from college.

Instead, her grieving fiancé's sister, Maria, was left to post a tribute to the dead girl on what should have been the start of her married life.

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Picture of happiness: Taylor Sheats and her fiance Juan Sebastian Lugo. The couple had been due to marry today in a small ceremony and celebrate after they graduated college 

Killer: Christy Sheats (left) murdered both her daughters and was intent on murdering her husband Jason (right) at the family's home in Katy, Texas. She was shot and killed by police

Celebration: Christy Sheats (rear, center) celebrating a birthday with her fiance Juan Sebastian Lugo (front) and his sister Maria (right). She paid tribute to Christy and her sister today

Writing on Facebook Maria Lugo said: 'Yall were part of our family, and that will never change. The greatest in laws any one could ever have, and the sweetest, most wholesome and caring girls in my life.

'I look up to yall so much. Y'all were a light in the midst of this crazy world. We will love you two until the end of time.'

Juan Sebastian, 23, and Taylor exchanged promise rings as sweethearts two years ago and posts on social media show a young couple, in love and looking forward to starting their new life together.

The heartbreaking development comes as new details have emerged of the horrific events that took place in a quiet family neighborhood in Katy, Texas, last week when Christy Byrd Sheats, 42, killed her daughters, shooting them down in the street outside the family home when an argument spilled over into violence.

Now Daily Mail Online has learned that husband, Jason, 45, only narrowly escaped becoming his wife's third victim when a neighbor opened her door to him allowing him to run to safety.

The neighbor, who asked not to be named, told of how she opened her door on hearing gunshots only to be confronted with the image of Christy pointing her gun directly at her husband, Jason.

She revealed: 'She went to shoot but had run out of bullets. When she went to reload Jason ran into our house and said "Call 911."'

On mourning: Maria Lugo (center) posted a picture of her brother Juan Sebastian (left) and Taylor Sheats (second from left) in tribute, saying that the gun victim who would have become her sister-in-law on Monday was sweet and kind

Promise broken in death: Taylor Shears had shown a 'promise ring' given to her by her boyfriend Juan Sebastian Lugo. The couple were due to marry today but she was gunned down by her own mom on Friday

Jason Sheats (center) escaped unscathed but was taken to hospital because he was distraught 

'FAMILY VIOLENCE': SHERIFF'S STATEMENT ON THE MURDERS

Detectives with the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office continue their investigation of a deadly family violence case in the Katy area.

At about 5 p.m. Friday, June 24, a deputy with the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office and an officer from nearby Fulshear responded to a shooting incident in the 6000 block of Remson Hollow Lane in the Katy area. 

When the deputy and the officer arrived, they saw two females lying on the street and a woman who had a gun in her hand. 

The Fulshear officer and deputy observed the woman shooting one of the girls in the street. 

The woman, Christy Sheats, 42, did not obey the officer's demand to drop the handgun and the officer fired one shot, killing Sheats.

Investigators learned that prior to the incident, Christy Sheats, had convened a family meeting inside their home. 

Her husband, Jason, 45, and her daughters, Taylor, 22, and Madison, 17, joined Christy in their living room. 

During that meeting, Christy Sheats held up a gun and shot both girls. 

Jason Sheats and both daughters managed to get out of the house by going through the front door. Madison collapsed and died. 

Jason Sheats ran to the end of the cul-de-sac. Taylor ran into the street and Christy Sheats followed, shooting Taylor again. 

According to a witness, Christy Sheats went back inside the home to reload the gun. 

Christy Sheats returned and shot Taylor once more. 

Taylor Sheats was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital - The Medical Center where she died.

Investigators found the murder weapon was a five-shot, .38 caliber handgun. 

The Sheriff's Office has responded to 14 calls for service at the residence since January of 2012. 

Some were alarm issues, but due to legal constraints issued by the county attorney, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office cannot describe the other calls for service.  

Recalling the horrific events that took place in the quiet, family oriented neighborhood last week, the neighbor said: 'Christy had stabbed the girls before she shot them.

'I looked out and I saw her standing over one of the girls with the gun pointed at her and she shot her as she lay on the ground.'

Visibly distressed by what she had witnessed the woman described Madison, 17, and Taylor, 22, as 'good girls' but said that there had been 'issues' with Christy for a long time.

She said: 'She should never have had a gun – Jason is a nice man but there were issues with her.' 

Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office on Monday released further details about the events of Friday afternoon and the circumstances leading up to the fatal shootings.

A deputy from Ford Bend County Sheriff’s Office and an officer from nearby Fulshear responded to the shooting at about 5pm to be confronted with the horrendous scene of both Madison and Taylor lying, dead and dying, in the road – Christy Sheats was still holding the gun – a .38 caliber handgun - and refused to put it down.

The Fulshear police officer fired a single shot and killed her.

Investigators have now learned that it was Christy who called her family together earlier that day for a family meeting inside their home.

Jason and daughters Madison and Taylor joined Christy in the living room. It was during that meeting that Christy held up a gun and shot both girls.

The girls and their father managed to get out of the house but Madison collapsed and died on the street outside.

Her father ran to the end of the cul-de-sac as his wife followed behind, chasing Taylor and shooting her another time.

Jason managed to escape suffering the same fate when a neighbor opened her door to him, saving his life.

Meanwhile his wife had returned to the family home, reloaded and returned to the street to shoot Taylor where she lay.

Taylor was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital where she died.

The Sheriff’s Office has revealed that they responded to 14 calls to the Sheats’s residence since January 2012.

Some calls were alarm issues, they said. They refused to give details of the other calls citing legal reasons. 

Neighbor Geno Hernandez, 42, recalled the Sheats as 'good neighbors' and revealed that Taylor had been away at college and was only visiting her parents and sister to celebrate her father's birthday that Friday.

He said: 'I watched the girls grow up here since they were about 10 years old – they used to play out on the street here. Taylor was into softball.

'They were friends with my son. Jason and the girls were always friendly, they'd always wave when they went past but Christy kept to herself.

'When we were having barbeques in the street she would never take part. I don't know whey they separated when they did but she had only quite recently moved back.

'You just kind of got the impression with her [Christy] it was all about her – all the selfies and what have you. She was very into herself.'

The mom, who was shot dead by a police officer after fatally wounding her daughters, had a history of mental illness and altercations. She and Jason, 45, had only recently reunited after a separation.

Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Caitilin Espinosa told People that officers had been to the Sheats' home 'for previous altercations'

Those altercations, she said, involving a 'mental crisis' that Christy Sheats had been undergoing.

However, she would not elaborate on the remarks. 

The Houston Chronicle confirmed that police had visited the house on multiple occasions.

And a neighbor told ABC13 that Christy and Jason Sheats had only recently reunited after a period of separation.

But that reunion led to disaster when a family argument on Friday - which was also Jason's birthday - spiraled into a double-murder that ended with a police officer shooting Christy.

Jason, who was the only family member to survive the incident, though he was taken to hospital due to his distress. 

Police arrived to find the two daughters lying outside the home in the 6000 block of Remson Hollow Lane

Scene of crime: The Sheat family home in Katy, Texas, where friends have left a ribbon on a tree in mourning for Madison and Taylor

In mourning: Madison Sheats' friend (from left) Erica Noriega, 17, Natalie Cata, 18, and Gabriella Rodriguez, 18, went to pay their respects at her home on Monday

Christy (right with Madison left) refused to drop her pistol when authorities arrived on the scene, and a Fulshear police officer was forced to shoot her

A police officer heard him pleading with his wife before she was shot dead, neighbour Fazz Zainuddin told Click2Houston.

‘[The officer] heard the dad say, "Don’t do this. They’re our kids",' Zainuddin said.

Officers had responded to a 911 call around 5pm on Friday. They arrived to find the two daughters lying outside the home in the 6000 block of Remson Hollow Lane in the Houston suburb of Fulshear.

The mother, who is originally from Decatur, Alabama, was killed by a responding police officer after she refused to drop her pistol, authorities said.

Sheriff Troy Nehls says the shooting was apparently after a family argument, but the reason for the dispute remains unclear.

Nehls said the two younger women had already been shot when a Fulshear police officer arrived and saw the mother with a gun in her hand, apparently preparing to shoot one of her daughters again. The officer shot and killed her. 

‘The cops were behind the trees and behind the cars, and they told the mom to put the gun down and obviously she did not,’ Zainuddin said.

He said Christy had walked towards her daughter Madison’s body still holding the pistol.

‘I guess the cop was afraid she was going to shoot her again,‘ he added. 

Madison was pronounced dead at the scene, while Taylor was airlifted to a hospital in a critical condition, where she later died. 

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Madison (right) worked as a babysitter, while Taylor (left) was a student at Lone Star College

Christy Sheats (pictured) was killed by a responding police officer after she refused to drop her pistol

Christy and Jason Sheats had recently reunited after being separated, another neighbor told ABC13. She said the shooting on Friday was on Jason’s birthday.

Austin Enke, who went to high school with one of the girls, said he thought he heard fireworks at first.

'It's crazy. The neighborhood has never seen this kind of thing before. It's always quiet,’ he told KHOU.

‘This is surprising. They never showed any kind of thing that was wrong with them whatsoever,'

Christy, a business manager at a laser tattoo removal clinic, posted a photo of her two daughters on Facebook in September last year.

She wrote: 'Happy Daughter's Day to my two amazing, sweet, kind, beautiful, intelligent girls. I love and treasure you both more than you could ever possibly know.'

It emerged that she had also spoken against gun control.

'It would be horribly tragic if my ability to protect myself or my family were to be taken away, but that's exactly what Democrats are determined to do by banning semi-automatic handguns,' she wrote on Facebook in March.

Tributes poured in for Taylor, who went to Lone Star College, and Madison, a student at Seven Lakes High School, on Facebook on Saturday.

Taylor’s friend Joanna Higgins wrote on their high school alumni page: 'I'm in utter shock. She was so talented and had a heart of gold. God rest her soul and those mourning her loss.'

Madison's former teacher Whitney Mae Bruce wrote: 'My heart is broken this morning to find that my sweet Madison Sheats lost her life.

‘Always positive and smiling, Madison quickly became one of my favorite students four years ago while teaching for the first time in Katy.

'A wonderful student/person/babysitter will be missed enormously. Please pray for her father.'

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