Woman shoots, kills intruder - her cousin

  

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police say a woman shot and killed a suspected robber in her northwest Houston home overnight who turned out to be her own cousin.

It happened around 12:30am in the 5900 block of Reid Street near Fulton.

Police say two women were in the home when their lights went out. According to investigators, two men shut off the electricity as a decoy to get the residents to come outside.

When one of the women walked out of the house to figure out what was going on, one of the suspects snuck inside.

According to investigators, the woman who remained inside the house realized what was happening. She grabbed a gun and started shooting in the dark.

When the lights were on, she saw her cousin bleeding on the floor.

Police say he was trying to steal from his own relative.

"First it sounded like somebody was in a fight, like people were hitting against the car, and then a few minutes later we heard gunshots," neighbor Josie Sanchez said.

The man was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital where he later died from his injuries. The second suspect managed to get away.

The second suspect remains on the loose.

"It's shocking and somewhat traumatizing, like I'm sure it is for all our neighbors here," neighbor Lyle Countryman said. "It's just a sign of our times."

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