PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS – A homeowner fatally shot an armed home invasion suspect causing the other two to flee…but that was only the beginning of a string of events that brought terror and destruction to his family. Port Arthur police are still working to put all the pieces of the puzzle together in the 2500 block of 18th Street.
Around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 27th, police responded to a call of a home invasion with shooting. According to their account of the incident, a female resident was entering the home when three assailants forced their way in. A male resident was alerted by the commotion and armed himself with a rifle.
Intent on protecting his children, he confronted the trio, shooting and killing one of them. The other two fled on foot and are still at large. The deceased was identified as Terrence Ellies, 27. He has a lengthy criminal record, including arrests for assault, making terroristic threats, and multiple charges of deadly conduct.
Speaking with local media, the mother of the two boys who live in the home said that while physically ok, the children were shaken by the incident, adding that her 5-year-old was taking it the hardest because he had a gun pointed at him.
The following day, the home was the target of a drive-by style shooting. Fortunately, the couple and the two children were not home at the time. Then later than night, firefighters responded to find the home in flames. Again, the family escaped physically unscathed, but mentally and emotionally shaken.
PAPD Detective Mike Herbert commented on the fatal shooting, saying, “This wasn’t a random act on the home invasion. We know that the suspect who defended himself inside the house is an acquaintance of the suspect who was shot and killed within the house.” With regards to the drive-by shooting and fire that occurred at the residence, Herbert added, “We can’t say for sure, obviously if it was related but there is a high probability they were all part of the same individuals.”
Police are still unsure of a motive in the case and Justice of the Peach Tom Gillam III has ordered an autopsy on Ellies. The PAPD Major Crime Team is continuing the investigation, and the case will be turned over to the district attorney’s office for review and a determination on any charges to be filed.
Someone is obviously trying to send a message, and had the man not been armed and acted decisively, his family may not have survived the first incident.
