Teen Allegedly Killed Ex-Girlfriend's Mom and Younger Siblings After Breakup: 'Hurtful, Horrible Thing' By Christina Coulter

A 15-year-old boy is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend’s mother and her two younger siblings in a planned attack inside their West Texas apartment, according to police.

The alleged shootings occurred at the Odessa residence on Tuesday, Dec. 9, following a breakup between the teen boy and the family’s 15-year-old daughter, NewsWest 9, KTSM and KPLC reported.

Officers responded around 5:45 p.m. to the 87th Street Apartments on Hunter Miller Way that day, where they found 39-year-old Jessica Rodriguez, her 9-year-old son and her 13-year-old daughter dead from gunshot wounds, according to a press release reviewed by PEOPLE.

A juvenile suspect was located about 40 minutes later and taken into custody, per police. He is charged with capital murder and is being held at the Ector County Youth Center, per an updated press release on Wednesday, Dec. 10.

Investigators determined the teen had originally planned to target his ex-girlfriend at her school but changed course and went to her home instead, the release states. Police believe he entered the apartment and shot Rodriguez and her children before fleeing on foot.

Authorities recovered a handgun believed to have been used in the killings, per the release, and Odessa Police Chief Mike Gerke said at a Wednesday press briefing that it is still unclear how the teen procured the weapon.

The victims’ father, Roy Casey Martinez, wrote in a GoFundMe that “a young boy took the lives of my 9-year-old son, my 13-year-old daughter, and their mother, who was my ex-wife,” adding that “this is something that no one can really prepare themselves for because we don’t expect this kind of tragedy to happen to any of us.”

Police said the teen suspect’s ex-girlfriend was physically unharmed but is considered a survivor of profound loss. “Physically she was unharmed,” Gerke said in Wednesday’s press conference. “But saying she’s ‘OK’ would be a misnomer after what happened to her family.”

“It was such a tragic and cowardly act of violence,” Gerke said. “It’s the kind of thing that really marks a community. Particularly in this holiday season, it’s a hurtful, horrible thing.”

Gerke also said the suspect had one prior police contact involving an unrelated family argument but nothing suggesting a threat of violence. He added that anyone who helped provide the firearm or knew about the alleged plan could face charges, and that prosecutors will determine whether the teen will be tried as an adult — which could allow his name to be released publicly.