Texas mum accused of shooting her two kids called the devil on 911 | US | News
Mugshot of Oninda Romelus from his arrest in Fayette County, Georgia in 2022 (Image: Fayette County Sheriff’s Office)
A Texas mother accused of shooting her four children and killing two of them told investigators in chilling fashion that she planned to “kill them all” after the injured were found in her car, according to court documents.
Oninda Romelus, 31, called 999 at 4:48 a.m. Saturday morning, urging officers to rush to a gas station in Angleton, Brazoria County.
When deputies arrived, they were greeted with the horrific sight of four children suffering from gunshot wounds. The news came as one person died as emergency services issued a major update.
Tragically, a 13-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl died at the scene, while an 8-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl were airlifted to a hospital in Houston and are currently in “stable condition,” according to Brazoria County Sheriff Bo Stallman. The children’s grandfather later made a heartbreaking statement.
As detectives try to piece together the events that led to this horrific incident, court records obtained by KPRC 2 reveal disturbing comments made by the mother following the attack. Mirror USA.
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Read more: Mother shot her 4 children and killed 2 of them
Records show Romelus appeared paranoid about his surroundings and repeatedly glanced at the door during an interview at the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office jail. When questioned, investigators noted that he appeared alert and aware but was “talking nonsense.”
The mother initially told investigators she “can’t talk about it,” records show, and then ominously added: “Instead of them doing it to me, I’m going to do it to them.”
When asked, “What are you going to do?” He answered the question in a chilling way. “Kill them all,” according to court documents. Romelus was also asked why he dialed 999.
Bizarrely, he claimed he did not call emergency services but instead “called the devil”.
Romelus told deputies to come to the gas station (Image: Fox 26 Houston/Youtube)
The records reveal that he repeatedly stated that he was “ready to work,” and detectives found that statement made no sense in the current context. When asked where her children were, she reportedly told officers they were with the “devil” and said, “They’re dead” and “Because you can’t take me until I take you.”
He then calmly declared that his children were “dead to him,” according to the documents. Commenting on the disturbing statements, psychiatrist Dr. from Baylor College of Medicine. Asim Shah told Click2Houston that the tragedy may have been the result of a serious and untreated mental health crisis.
“Usually this serious situation does not happen overnight,” Shah commented. “It takes a while to get to a situation this severe… this bad.”
He suggested that Romelus may be suffering from psychosis, completely disconnected from reality.
Law enforcement is investigating a vehicle near the scene of a deadly shooting (Image: AP)
“Nothing could be this sad,” Shah said. “But as a psychiatrist, the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear this is psychosis, because no sane person would harm anyone, especially their own child. So psychosis comes to my mind… A person becomes delusional, paranoid, thinking that if I don’t harm my children, someone else will harm them,” he added.
Dr Shah urges families who notice warning signs such as paranoia, hearing voices or sudden changes in behavior to seek help immediately. “If you don’t know where to start, remember 988,” he said, referring to the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
“This is a mental health emergency line, just like you would call 911 for a medical emergency,” he added.
Brazoria County Sheriff Bo Stallman (Image: Fox 26)
Romelus faces two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is being held in the Brazoria County Jail on $14 million bail.
CCTV footage shows Romelus filling his car with $56 worth of petrol before officers confronted him at the Oasis petrol station. The 13-year-old boy was found dead in the front passenger seat of the car, while the other three children were found with gunshot wounds in the back seats.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services confirmed that Child Protective Services had previously been in contact with Romelus and was investigating the incident. The judge has not yet determined who will be given custody of the two surviving children after they are discharged from the hospital.
