Five dead in Houston mass shooting

A man who allegedly opened fire on his own family, killing at least four children and two adults, has surrendered to US police.

His surrender comes after hours spent in a tense stand-off with heavily armed SWAT teams and specialist police. 

The man is believed to be a relative of one of the victims and it is believed the shooting came after a domestic.

"It appears this stems from a domestic issue with a breakup in the family from what our witness has told us," Assistant Chief Deputy Constable Mark Herman of the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office told reporters.

One of the officers involved in the stand-off said the shooter was a man in his 30s with a beard who appeared to be "and cool as a cucumber". 

"[He was] just sitting in his car looking out at us [when we arrived],” Sheriff's Sgt Thomas Gilliland said. 

Police were called by the mother of one of the murdered children, who survived the initial massacre after being shot in the head.

It is understood she rang police to warn them the suspect was on his way to a nearby restaurant to kill another family member at work.

Three children live in the home of where the shooting took place, according to one neighbour.

Danna Stevens, 75, and her husband, Texas Stevens, live four doors down and said they did not know their neighbors well but were shocked by the violence.

"This is just not something you expect to happen in this kind of subdivision," Ms Stevens said.

Source: National Post