A man identified as James Paul Anderson, who worked in the Special Education Department at a Houston-area high school, has been charged with murdering his wife in Kingwood. Anderson, 37, was chair of the Special Education Department at Santa Fe Middle School, Cleveland Independent School District officials said. Following the events, the district placed him on leave.
The events occurred Sunday at a residence on Vista Ridge Drive, located in a neighborhood south of Northpark Drive, between Woodland Hills Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway. Police responded to an initial domestic violence call around 5 p.m. m., made by the victim, 34 years old, who reported that her husband was threatening her with a firearm. Tragically, during the call, a gunshot was heard.
Upon arriving at the scene, police found the victim’s body and discovered that Anderson had barricaded himself in the home. Fortunately, the couple’s 3-year-old son was able to leave the residence and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, although his injuries were not specified.
For hours, the SWAT team and hostage negotiators tried to persuade Anderson to leave the home peacefully. Finally, around 9:45 p.m. m., the suspect surrendered to the authorities.
Anderson’s wife was found dead inside the home. Authorities have not yet determined the exact cause of the incident, but previous domestic problems had been reported at the home and it is speculated that the couple was going through divorce proceedings.
The Cleveland Independent School District issued a statement expressing regret over the situation and confirmed that James Anderson has been placed on administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation. Crisis counseling and support was also made available to Santa Fe Middle School students and staff, emphasizing that the incident did not take place on the school campus.
