A woman is dead after a domestic shooting inside a home in the 100 block of South Allison Drive in Little River, and a man was taken into custody at the scene Saturday morning. Bell County Sheriff's Office deputies and Little River-Academy police officers responded to the area around 10 a.m. after a report of the shooting, and found the woman suffering from a gunshot wound inside the residence.
According to KXXV, police found the woman dead from a gunshot wound inside the home, and the male suspect was taken into custody as soon as officers arrived. He remains in custody, per the station's report. Fox 44 News reports that Justice of the Peace Michael Tice was notified and pronounced the woman dead at the scene, and that an autopsy has since been ordered.
Investigation Led by Sheriff's Office With Rangers Assisting
The Bell County Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation with assistance from the Texas Rangers and the Little River-Academy Police Department, Fox 44 News reports. The victim's identity had not been released as of Saturday, though her next of kin had been notified, according to KWTX.
Authorities told KWTX that the case will be presented to the Bell County District Attorney's Office for consideration of a murder charge. No additional details about the relationship between the man and woman or what led up to the shooting have been released.
Domestic Shootings a Persistent Problem Statewide
The Little River case adds to a grim statewide pattern. A Texas Council on Family Violence report found that 160 people were killed by an intimate partner in Texas in 2025, according to KXAN. Women made up 85% of those victims, or 136 people, the outlet reports.
Among the women killed by intimate partners statewide last year, 73.4% were fatally shot and 79.4% were killed by a current partner, per the same KXAN report. More than half of those homicides, 55%, happened inside a home shared by the victim and the person who killed them, with another 12.5% occurring in the victim's own home. The report also found that 50.9% of survivors seeking shelter were turned away due to a lack of space.
No further updates on the Little River case, including the suspect's identity or any formal charges, had been released as of Saturday.
