Share and Follow
Inset: Stanley Hardin (Montgomery County Sheriff”s Office). Background: A pickup truck allegedly crashed by Hardin into a house in Conroe, Texas (Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office).
A Texas resident is now in custody after driving his truck into a residence and subsequently shooting his estranged wife and her mother, as reported by state law enforcement.
According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, 57-year-old Stanley Earl Hardin faces charges of two counts of capital murder.
The tragic events unfolded on Monday afternoon on Shoreview Drive in Conroe, a city located approximately 40 miles north of Houston. The victims were identified as 50-year-old Tara Hardin, his wife, and her 80-year-old mother, Floris Wolford, as confirmed by the sheriff’s office.
At around 2 p.m., a distress call was received from the suspect’s estranged wife, as detailed by Montgomery County Sheriff Wesley Doolittle during a press briefing covered by Houston’s ABC affiliate KTRK.
The caller informed 911 operators that her husband had crashed into her home with his truck and was attempting to enter, according to statements from law enforcement officials.
Shortly after, shots rang out; Hardin had entered the residence, according to police, and fired multiple rounds, killing the victims.
Both women were pronounced dead at the scene.
In footage of the aftermath obtained by KTRK, a black GMC Sierra pickup truck is seen crashed and lodged into the front of the house, having torn through vinyl siding, insulation, and a large window.
After the shooting, the defendant fled to his son’s house on foot and asked to be driven to his own home some 5 miles away from where the killings occurred, according to the sheriff’s office.
The defendant ultimately surrendered to police at a residence on Ivy Lane without incident, according to law enforcement. The surrender occurred, however, with the presence of SWAT team members because authorities were prepared for the possibility of additional violence, the sheriff said.
“They had set up a perimeter anticipating that it might be worse than what they had believed,” Doolittle said during the press conference, according to the Houston Chronicle. “There was information that he would shoot it out with law enforcement. It’s my belief that he talked to a family member and that he surrendered to our deputies at that scene.”
Investigators believe the couple had recently separated and that Hardin’s wife was staying with her mother at the time. By all indications, the estrangement was in the very early stages.
In comments to the TV station, neighbors said Tara Hardin had been seen at the husband’s house as recently as last week. The couple has adult children and previously lived together for years, neighbors added, saying any problems between the pair were not public knowledge.
“When there is high emotion, people are ending relationships and such, I would tell folks to contact the Montgomery County women’s shelter if they believe they are in danger,” Doolittle said.
The investigation is said to be ongoing.
Hardin is being detained in the Montgomery County Jail with no bond. The defendant has been identified as a military veteran by law enforcement.
“The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office extends our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the victims,” a statement issued on Facebook reads. “We recognize the profound impact this tragedy has had on our community and are committed to seeking justice for these women and their loved ones.”