HONDO, Texas – Two women are dead and a man is in police custody after a standoff Thursday morning on Highway 90 near Hondo, Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown said.
Brown said the victims were roommates and were in their mid-40s. One of them is believed to have been the girlfriend of the suspect, identified as Brian Dale Nixon, 48.
Brown said his office received a call around 1:30 a.m. about a woman being shot and a white pickup truck leaving a home in the Medina River West Subdivision in Castroville.
Watch KSAT reporter Ashly Custer's live report
Deputies spotted the pickup, and Nixon led them on a chase that ended on Highway 90 near County Road 173, where Hondo police deployed spike strips, according to authorities.
"The deputies ended up having to use their vehicles to ram the suspect's vehicle off the road," Brown said. "Then, he displayed a gun and we had a 5-hour standoff with him threatening to kill himself."
During the standoff, Nixon was seen armed with a semi-automatic handgun shortly before peacefully giving up to police around 5:45 a.m., Brown said. Nixon was taken into custody.
Investigators found Nixon's girlfriend's body in the bed of the pickup, which led them to believe that the incident may have been the result of a lovers' quarrel. The other victim's body was found at the home. Police believe Nixon moved his girlfriend's body after shooting the two women at the house.
Sheriff's officials said the daughter of one of the shooting victims was asleep at the home when the trouble started. They said Nixon poured gasoline throughout the home and on the daughter, but the home did not catch fire and the daughter was not hurt.
Brown said he does not believe there were any previous reported domestic issues involving the couple. He said Nixon doesn't have a violent criminal history.
Christina Fernandez has lived in the same Castroville neighborhood where the shooting happened for 20 years. She said it is unnerving to hear two women were murdered so close to home.
"We've never had anything happen like this, like this morning," Fernandez said. "And I'm sorry for the women and if they had any kids, I'm very sorry for them, and very shocked that this happened."
Highway 90 was shut down for several hours in both directions during the investigation but has since reopened. The Texas Department of Public Safety assisted in the investigation.
Nixon is charged with two counts of capital murder. He is being held on a $2 million bond.
Editor's note: KSAT 12 News reporter Ashly Custer contributed to this report.