HOUSTON – A husband is dead after deputies said he was shot by his wife during a dispute at a home in northwest Harris County.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting between the estranged couple at 10:50 a.m. Sunday at a home on Barons Bridge Drive and Strack Road near the Champion Forest area.
Carolyn Court, 68, appeared before a judge early Monday morning, where new details surrounding the shooting were released.
According to prosecutors, Court said she and her husband, Ray Court, 66, were separated but still married. Prosecutors said Ray Court had shown up at her home to pick up some belonging and the two had plans to go to lunch.
However, Ray Court arrived in his girlfriend’s car, which infuriated Carolyn Court, according to court records. When Ray Court entered the home, prosecutors said Carolyn Court tried to slap him, so he grabbed her wrist to avoid being hit.
Ray Court went to the bathroom, and while he was in there, Carolyn Court told authorities that she grabbed a gun from her bedroom.
When Ray Court left the bathroom, Carolyn Court confronted him with the gun and admitted to cocking the hammer and pointing the get at her estranged husband while demanding answers to questions she was asking, prosecutors said.
According to prosecutors, that is when Carolyn Court said the gun went off. Ray Court was shot in the abdomen and was rushed to a hospital where he later died.
Carolyn Court said the shooting was accidental and admitted to having a bad temper, officials said. She was arrested and charged with murder.
The judge set Carolyn Court’s bond at $150,000 and did not approve a personal bond.
On Monday night, she posted bond and is set to appear in court on Wednesday.
Neighbor’s react to shooting
News of the shooting caught many by surprise in the neighborhood where Carolyn would often be seen gardening in her yard. One woman told KPRC 2 Investigates she always supported the Girl Scouts when they knocked on her door.
While residents said Ray simply would come and go without saying a word, those that dealt with him professionally said he was a “great guy” anytime he made a sales call.
“He was just like one of the guys. He’d go around to all of the car dealers, just a great person,” said Mark Clarke, a client and friend of 25 years.
Eugene Gill purchased various foods from Ray over the last two years. Gill said if there was trouble at home it was disguised.
“To us, he seemed like everything was great, loved what he did. So, when we heard about it this morning, it was really shocking,” he said.
Clarke said he knew that Ray Court’s marriage of over 40 years had gone sideways.
“I knew when they separated, but that is something personal," Clarke said. "I’ll have to keep it to myself, sorry.”