3 Katrina survivors shot dead

2005-12-31 21:59

Washington - Three members of a US family who survived Hurricane Katrina and were facing eviction from a Texas apartment complex where they had found shelter have been found shot to death in an apparent murder-suicide, according to a newspaper report.

The Dallas Morning News reported late on Friday that the bodies of a 40-year-old man, his 37-year-old wife and their 14-year-old son were discovered early on Friday in an upstairs unit of the Village on the Creek Apartments by Grapevine, Texas police.

A shotgun was found near the bodies and neighbours said they had heard three gunshots at around noon on Thursday.

The victims' names were being withheld while police attempted to contact their relatives.

A friend said Hurricane Katrina had destroyed the family's rental home in Louisiana. The family had reportedly spent a week on the streets before moving into a hotel.

After Hurricane Rita struck the US Gulf Coast in Katrina's wake, the family moved again and ended up in Grapevine. However, they had recently been served with an eviction notice, officials said.

"He pretty much lost it after the hurricane," said Teri Curry, a friend of the man who died.

Curry said the man's wife had once confided in her: "I failed my kids again, Teri. My kids are starving."

The couple also had a 16-year-old daughter whom police have since located. She had been staying in North Carolina with her boyfriend.

The local magistrate who issued the eviction order against the family had given them information about the government's Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has helped other Katrina survivors find shelter and aid.

"They were definitely given the opportunity to seek other shelter," said Marc Flake, a spokesperson for the local authorities.

- SAPA