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Family speaks after teen shot parents, killed dad
A Houston area family is mourning after a 17-year-old shot both his parents, killing his father in Conroe. FOX 26's Abigail Dye spoke with the family on the tragedy.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - Travontay Constantine is facing charges of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, accused of shooting his parents in their Conroe home Wednesday night.
Montgomery County Sheriff's Office says the 17-year-old turned himself in hours after the shooting that killed his father, 41-year-old Leroy Constantine Jr.
The family identified his mother as Romica Constantine, who they say is in the hospital recovering.
"Romica she's fine, she's stable. She's able to talk. We have been communicating with her. We have gotten a little laughter out of her. We're trying to keep her high up in spirits and prayers," said her cousin, Shawntera Spikes.
The shooting occurred around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday in the 9000 block of Waller Street.
According to the sheriff’s office, the 17-year-old got into an argument with his parents that escalated, and the teen allegedly shot them.
Travontay Constantine (Photo: Montgomery County Sheriff's Office)
The teen's siblings were reported to be at home at the time, says the sheriff's office, but were not injured.
Spikes said they got a call from Travontay's sister that night, "She said my daddy has been shot, and he's dead, and my mama has been shot too."
She says they rushed to the house and discovered a tragic scene.
"We got here, we were the first ones on the scene. When we were pulling up, they were putting Romica in the ambulance," she said.
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According to Spikes, the Constantines were high-school sweethearts who had three children and two grandchildren together. She says they were both dedicated parents.
"Don't judge my family by what happened, because you never know what someone is going through. Today or tomorrow, it could be their family," she said.
MCSO reports it's unclear where the 17-year-old got the gun, but they don't believe the parents own a gun.
Spikes says it's not clear what Tayvontay was dealing with that possibly led to this shooting and that they haven't had any contact with him at this point. "Just pray for the Constantine family. Just pray for everybody. They have kids, grandkids, nieces, and nephews that they left behind, and it wasn't something that they chose to do. It was just something that happened."
Travontay's bond is set at $250,000.