A Texas father shot an alleged child predator multiple times after he claimed his wife and himself spotted the man “touching himself” outside his 10-year-old daughter’s window, according to reports.
The unidentified parents, who officials confirmed are both licensed handgun carriers told police it wasn’t the first time their young daughter saw someone watching her through the window, ABC13 reported.
However, when the parents checked outside following previous complaints, they were unable to find anyone.
The latest encounter that happened on Monday at about 2 a.m. in Harris County unfolded after the parents reportedly heard screams coming from their child’s bedroom.
“She looks over at the window and this guy is at her window,” the girl’s mother, who preferred to stay anonymous told KPRC-TV, explaining her daughter’s experience.
“He took my daughter’s innocence away,” she added.
The couple told police they confronted the alleged child predator who appeared to be intoxicated at the time he was outside of their home. They attempted to force the man to lie down in their yard as they notified the police.
The man didn’t comply with the couple’s orders, however, and instead walked away from them toward a nearby Valero gas station located across the street from the family’s home.
Police said the couple then followed the man towards the gas station, where the girl’s mother held him at gunpoint while her husband went inside to tell the cashier to call 911.
At that point, the suspect started a fight with the woman and tried to grab her gun, which he succeeded in, ABC13 reported, citing police.
The suspect then managed to point the weapon of the disarmed woman towards her direction—at which time her husband ran outside the shop and fired his weapon three times.
“We didn’t want this guy to get shot,” the girl’s mother told KPRC-TV. “We were waiting for police to detain him because I’m pretty sure if he did this to my children, he’s doing it to a lot of other children out here.”
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the man was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition, noting that he has since been reported as stable. The suspect’s identity hasn’t been made public yet.
