HARLINGEN — Police now suspect a Harlingen man shot and killed his common-law wife during a standoff on Wednesday.
It appears Mario Galarza, 27, killed himself after shooting Yaredi Reyes Juarez, also 27, police say.
Reyes’ brother, Osvaldo Reyes, 23, also was shot and remains in a local hospital in stable condition.
The seven-hour standoff began about 10:15 p.m. Tuesday at a house in the 600 block of North B Street.
Police were able to get several people out of the house safely before the standoff ended around
5 a.m. Wednesday. But it was unclear whether they included Reyes’ four children, ages 7, 6, 3 and 1.
Police have not commented on a possible motive, saying the case is still under investigation.
Police were first notified by a phone call that shots were fired.
When officers arrived, they found Osvaldo Reyes lying on the ground in the front yard suffering from a gunshot wound.
Police said the gunman barricaded himself inside the house.
Hostage negotiators arrived on the scene and attempted to make contact with the man. After numerous attempts were made, the Harlingen police SWAT team made entry into the house and found Galarza and Yaredi Reyes, both deceased.
