Five children among 8 dead in home

Eight people, five of them children, were killed at a house in Houston, Texas, and a suspect in the shooting surrendered to police after an hour-long standoff, law enforcement officials said yesterday

Sheriff deputies went to the home on a welfare check at about 9pm on Saturday, Sullivan said. They called for backup after learning that there was a man inside the home wanted for aggravated assault, CBS News-affiliate KHOU TV reported.

When the deputies spotted the body of child through a window, they tried to force their way inside the home, KHOU said. The suspect shot at them and the deputies pulled back, KHOU reported.

After a stand-off with authorities, the suspect surrendered, Sullivan said.

The motive for the killings was not known, and police did not state the victims’ ages or their relationships to each other and to the suspect.