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Police investigate double capital murder-suicide in small, West Texas town

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Published  January 14, 2026 10:58am CST
Texas
FOX Local
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The Brief

    • A shooting in Slaton, Texas, left three dead and two critically injured after a domestic dispute over child visitation escalated Sunday night.
    • George Cantu, 27, killed two relatives and himself after intentionally wounding his ex-wife and another man; police say alcohol was a factor.
    • The two survivors remain in critical condition at University Medical Center, while the Metro Crimes Unit continues to investigate the case.

SLATON, Texas - A domestic dispute over marital and child visitation issues escalated into a deadly shooting Sunday night in the High Plains of West Texas, leaving three people dead and two others critically wounded in what police are investigating as a double capital murder-suicide.

Double capital murder-suicide investigation

What we know:

The shooting happened at 10:52 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2026, at a home located at 335 E. Floyd St. in Slaton. Slaton is a city in Lubbock County, situated about 15 miles southeast of Lubbock in the High Plains region of West Texas.

According to a media release from the Slaton Police Department, George Cantu, 27, entered the home armed with a handgun. Investigators said Cantu was upset regarding ongoing issues with his common-law ex-wife, Jasmine Rivas, 24.

Police report that Cantu intentionally shot and wounded Rivas and Isaiah Chapa, 20, before fatally shooting his cousins, Marisol Ramirez, 18, and Araceli Valdez, 23. Cantu then turned the gun on himself and was later pronounced deceased.

Both Rivas and Chapa were rushed to the hospital by ambulance to University Medical Center with critical injuries. As of the latest update, they face a long recovery process, and their current medical conditions have not been released.

The Slaton Police Department noted that alcohol was a factor in the shooting. 

What's next:

The Metro Crimes Unit has taken over as the lead investigative agency for the ongoing case.

The Source: Information in this article is from the Slaton Police Department.

TexasCrime and Public Safety