A 61-year-old Parker County man has been charged with murder after authorities said his adult daughter was fatally shot while he attempted to intervene in a physical altercation inside the family’s home.
The shooting occurred on June 21 at a private residence in Azle, located in northeastern Parker County, according to the Parker County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded after receiving a 911 call reporting a gunshot victim. When they arrived, they found an adult woman suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Deputies immediately began lifesaving efforts before firefighters and paramedics arrived and continued CPR and other emergency measures. Despite those efforts, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities have not publicly released the victim’s identity.
According to Sgt. Shane Cartwright, public information officer for the Parker County Sheriff’s Office, said investigators quickly determined that the victim’s father, 61-year-old Charles Brooks, was responsible for the fatal shooting.
Investigators learned that a physical altercation had broken out inside the residence between the victim and her mother before the shooting occurred. Cartwright said Brooks told investigators that he retrieved a handgun, loaded it, and chambered a round before attempting to separate the two women.
According to Brooks’ account, the firearm discharged during the intervention and struck his daughter in the chest.
Brooks was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Brooks was booked into the Parker County Jail, where he remains held on a $2 million bond. The bond was set by Parker County Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Kelvin Miles.
Under Texas law, a first-degree murder conviction can carry a sentence ranging from five years to life in prison.
Parker County Sheriff Russ Authier expressed sympathy for the victim’s family in a statement released Monday.
“The thoughts and prayers of the Sheriff’s Office are with the family and loved ones of this victim,” Authier said, per Fox 4 KDFW.
The Parker County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains active and is being conducted with assistance from the Texas Rangers.
Authorities have not released additional details about the circumstances leading up to the altercation or the shooting as investigators continue to review evidence and conduct interviews.
