HOUSTON, TX. (THECOUNT) — Vivian Savella, 4, has been identified as the girl fatally shot Tuesday evening in west Houston, Texas, after a custody hearing involving the child and her mother, according to Houston police and the family’s attorney.
Houston Police Department officers were called to the 300 block of Terra Reserve Place around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday following a report of a shooting. Officers arrived and found Vivian dead from an apparent gunshot wound.
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Police said Vivian’s mother, a 30-year-old woman whose identity has not been publicly released, was also found with a gunshot wound. She was transported to a hospital in critical condition and is expected to survive.
Authorities said a custody hearing involving Vivian and her mother had taken place earlier Tuesday. The family’s attorney said a judge placed Vivian in the primary care of her father, identified by the family as Aaron, and that the girl was supposed to return to her father’s home that evening.
“Aaron did everything the law asks of a parent who is trying to protect his child,” the family said in a statement released through its attorney. “He trusted the courts. He followed every order. He waited for the process to work.”
“On Tuesday, a judge placed Vivian in his primary care, and she was supposed to come home to him that evening. She never did,” the family said.
Houston police said Vivian’s stepfather and a babysitter were downstairs inside the residence when they heard gunshots coming from upstairs. They went upstairs and found Vivian and her mother, according to investigators. The stepfather attempted to provide aid to Vivian before emergency personnel arrived.
Police believe Vivian’s mother shot the child before turning the gun on herself. The mother remains hospitalized, and her identity has not been released publicly.
Houston police homicide investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including what occurred inside the home following the custody hearing. No additional details about the sequence of events have been released.
The family’s statement described Vivian as deeply loved by her father and others who knew her, saying the family was devastated by her death. Relatives asked for privacy while they mourned.
The shooting occurred in west Houston’s Memorial area, a community within Harris County and the Houston metropolitan region. Terra Reserve Place is located near North Kirkwood Road in west Houston.
Google Maps: 300 Terra Reserve Place, Houston, TX
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