Barricaded Houston Man and Disabled Father Found Dead After Apartment Fire on North Shepherd

A police standoff at a northwest Houston apartment complex ended Friday night with two people dead after the unit the suspect had barricaded himself in caught fire, the Houston Police Department said.

Officers were called to the Garden Oaks Village apartments at 4411 N. Shepherd Drive around 4:20 p.m. Friday after getting a report that a man had been stabbed. Police said the incident started as a domestic disturbance between brothers, with one stabbing the other in the back during an argument. Investigators said they were still trying to determine what the two were arguing about. The stabbing victim was taken to a hospital.

The suspect, a 20-year-old man, retreated into an apartment and refused to come out. His father, 59, was inside with him. Police said the father was disabled and could not have left the apartment on his own even if he wanted to.

Officers arriving at the scene were seen with guns drawn as the standoff unfolded. More than a dozen police vehicles lined the block, and the northbound lanes of Shepherd Drive were closed for hours.

At some point during the standoff, officers reported hearing what sounded like a gunshot from inside the apartment. Police pulled back and requested a SWAT team. Shortly after, officers saw smoke coming from the unit.

Officers breached the apartment door and found flames inside, but the heat forced them to retreat before they could reach the suspect or his father. Police said they believe a drone they had sent into the apartment to assess the situation was lost in the fire.

Houston firefighters arrived and put out the blaze. When officers went back inside, they found both the suspect and his father dead.

Police have not said how the father died. Investigators said they don't yet know whether he was shot or killed by the fire, and the bodies of both the suspect and his father were burned in the blaze. A medical examiner will determine the causes of death for both.

Two apartment units were damaged by the fire, and residents of the complex were evacuated while firefighters worked the scene. Fire officials estimated residents would be able to return to their homes about two hours after the fire was put out.

Houston police said the suspect had previously come up in other investigations in the neighborhood as a person of interest, though they did not elaborate on what those cases involved.

The stabbing victim's condition has not been released. Police have not said whether they will pursue additional charges tied to the standoff, since the suspect died at the scene. The medical examiner's findings on both deaths are expected in the coming weeks.