Texas Mom Was Killed in Murder-Suicide Shielding Her 10-Year-Old Daughter, Who Faces Long Road to Recovery

The shooting, which authorities have called a murder-suicide, occurred at an apartment complex in Spring, Texas on May 30

Loved ones of a 10-year-old Texas girl who was critically injured in a murder-suicide that killed her mother and was carried out by her mother's boyfriend have started a GoFundMe campaign for the child.

The fundraiser was created by Andre Thomas, who included a statement on behalf of the Cantu family saying that the funds will go towards Chantal Cantu’s 10-year-old daughter’s medical expenses, as well as grief counseling and long-term emotional support for the girl and her 15-year-old brother, who are now left without a mother.

According to the GoFundMe, Cantu was “murdered while protecting her daughter from gunfire” on May 30. “Chantal was an amazing mother, daughter, sister, cousin, friend, and co-worker who knew no boundaries for those in her life,” the fundraiser reads.

The shooting occurred at an apartment complex in Spring, Texas, around 5 p.m. that day, Sgt. Greg Pinkins of the Harris County Sheriff's Office said at a media briefing last week. Pinkins said a 39-year-old male, a 33-year-old female and a 10-year-old girl were involved in what authorities have said was a murder-suicide.

Their identities haven’t been publicly released, but local outlet ABC 13 reported that authorities said the man was the boyfriend of the woman, and the child was her daughter.

All three sustained gunshot wounds, Harris County Texas Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

According to the sheriff’s office, first responders found the boyfriend dead and the mother unresponsive. The mother received medical attention, but died at the scene.

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As for the 10-year-old girl, the GoFundMe states she suffered gunshot wounds to five major organs in her abdomen. She’s currently in the pediatric intensive care unit at a local hospital, where she has undergone multiple surgeries, and is expected to have a long road to recovery.

“Although Chantal’s 10-year-old daughter is strong and she is a fighter, the road to recovery will be long,” the fundraiser reads. “We would love nothing more than for her to get back to being that energetic, loving, caring soul that she was prior to this hideous act.”

Pinkins told reporters that investigators believe the incident was a result of a “disturbance” between the man and woman. He added that the 10-year-old appeared to have been “struck in the crossfire from the shooting.”

As of June 4, the fundraiser has garnered more than $3,000 in donations.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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