A gun-wielding man opened fire on his ex’s children and terrorized them into making a daring escape during a horrifying rampage at a Texas apartment, according to authorities.
Willie Simpson III, 32, was texting his ex-girlfriend and demanding to enter their northwest Houston apartment before he arrived and confronted her 19 and 16-year-old sons on the stairs outside the building last Sunday, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Kansas City Star.
Simpson lived with the children and his ex-girlfriend on the day of the shooting, but the mother told him he was not allowed to enter the home, the complaint said, according to the outlet.
Simpson initially seemed calm — but then called the children’s mother and threatened to “kill her kids,” if she didn’t immediately come home, the complaint said.
The terrified mother called 911, then her son, who she allegedly heard breathlessly running up the stairs. Simpson had allegedly told the brothers to go inside or he’d shoot them, court records said.
Simpson then opened fire as they bolted up the stairs, wounding the 19-year-old in the abdomen, local outlets reported.
Once inside, the brave brothers jumped from a second-floor balcony to escape the gunfire, according to the court records.
Meanwhile, their 13 and 12-year-old sisters had just come upstairs from a pool outing with friends and were changing in the bathroom when they heard shots fired, court records showed.
The older sister went to investigate, locking the bathroom door with her little sister in it behind her, the documents said. She eventually came face-to-face with Simpson, who pointed a gun at her, sending her fleeing into a closet to hide under a pile of clothes, she told authorities.
The terrified 13-year-old then heard Simpson kick open the bathroom door and shoot her younger sister, records detailed.
Cops and authorities arrived and took the 12-year-old girl to the hospital in critical condition. The eldest brother underwent surgery and had to have his spleen removed, the outlet said.
Both children are expected to survive their injuries, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a statement.
Simpson was nabbed Friday after a manhunt led by law enforcement.
He has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault on a family member, burglary with intent to commit murder, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, cops said.
Simpson has previously been booked on a slew of charges, including aggravated robbery, assault of a family member, and evading arrest in 2013 and 2022, court records show.
He was being held in Harris County Jail on a $1,050,000 bond.
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