A Texas father shot and critically injured a man accused of peeping into his 10-year-old daughter's window, officials said.
A couple, who were not identified by police, confronted an alleged peeping Tom who was masturbating outside their daughter’s window about 10 p.m. Sunday, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
The unidentified man apologized and left but the couple attempted to detain him, officials said. They followed him across the street to a gas station, where the wife held him at gunpoint while her husband asked the station’s clerk to call 911, the sheriff’s office said. In that time, the man disarmed the wife and pointed it at her, according to authorities.
The husband, who was also armed with a handgun, shot the man, the sheriff’s office said. The man is critical but stable.
The wife spoke to NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston on the condition of anonymity, saying the man “took my daughter’s innocence away.” She and her husband rushed out of the house armed after they heard their daughter scream.
She said the man wrestled her gun away from her and pointed it at her while her husband was inside, and that was when her husband pulled the trigger.
“We didn’t want this guy to get shot,” she said. “We were waiting for police to detain him because I’m pretty sure if he did this to my children, he’s doing it to a lot of other children out here. We are praying for the suspect and we are also praying for his family.”
The sheriff’s office said that the case would be referred to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, who referred a request for comment from NBC News Wednesday back to police.
It’s unclear whether the couple or the suspect will face charges.