Murder suspect arrested in fatal shooting of family in Georgetown, police say
The gunman who killed a family of three, including an 8-year-old girl, in Georgetown has been arrested, police said.
The suspect, Raul Franco Jr., 26, faces murder charges, Georgetown police said in a news release on Tuesday. Franco had been in custody since Sept. 14 on an unrelated charge, police said.
Officers responded to a shooting about 7:30 p.m. at an apartment on Luther Drive along the Interstate 35 frontage road, in Georgetown, which is in Williamson County, just north of Austin.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found three bodies with multiple gunshot wounds inside the apartment, police have said.
The three victims were identified as 34-year-old Alonzo Hawkins, 39-year-old Doneisha Brooks, and her 8-year-old daughter, Olivia Brooks. They had moved to Georgetown from Mansfield.
Investigators determined that Franco is the son of Brooks’ roommate, who was not in Texas at the time of the murders. Based on interviews, video surveillance, and physical evidence, investigators determined that Franco committed the murders in the morning hours of Sept. 13, police said.
Evidence indicated that Franco knew the victims, and “this is not believed to have been a random act,” police said. Authorities said there is no ongoing threat to the public.
The Georgetown Police Department continues to seek information about the firearm used in this crime. Anyone with any information is urged to contact Williamson County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-253-7867 or online at www.wilcocrimetips.org. Tips may qualify for a reward of up to $5,000.
“The Georgetown Police Department is mindful of the deep pain this case has caused and extends our condolences to the families of the victims,” police said in the release. “The tragic loss of life in this case has profoundly affected both the family and the Georgetown community.”
A fresh start becomes a tragedy
The family, originally from Mansfield in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, moved to Central Texas for a fresh start, relatives told KVUE-TV. “Olivia was [Doneisha’s] world, and she would have done anything. She was a mama bear. She would have protected Olivia with everything,” Kayla Brooks, Doneisha Brooks’ sister-in-law, told KVUE-TV.
“Who can take the life of a baby? She didn’t do anything wrong. Nothing. Nothing,” Kayla Brooks said. “She was so smart, so loved. There’s just no words. We’re all living a dream, and we want to wake up and see them again.”
Alma Ford, cousin of Brooks and Hawkins, told KVUE that Hawkins “kept you laughing even when you [were] sad.”
A funeral was held for the family on Saturday, Sept. 27 in Mansfield, according to a GoFundMe post.