A Cleveland ISD teacher has been charged after his wife was shot and killed before a five-hour standoff with police in northeast Houston on Sunday.
James Paul Anderson, 37, was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
ARRESTED: Booking photo of James Paul Anderson, 37, now charged with the murder of his wife at 4311 Vista Ridge Drive on Sunday (Sept. 24).
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— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) September 25, 2023
Officers were dispatched to a home at 4311 Vista Ridge Drive where a woman called 911, stating her husband, later identified as Anderson, was threatening to shoot her, Houston police said.
The 911 dispatcher reported hearing a gunshot while on the phone with a woman shortly before 5 p.m., according to HPD.
When officers arrived, they asked Anderson to step outside of the house, but he refused, sparking the hourslong standoff.
He did, however, allow the couple’s 3-year-old son to exit the house, police said. The child was not injured, but was taken to the hospital for observation.
After several hours of negotiations with members of the HPD Hostage Negotiation and SWAT teams, Anderson surrendered and was taken into custody.
When officers went inside, they found the woman unresponsive with a gunshot wound. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.
According to HPD, the situation stemmed from an alleged domestic dispute between the husband and wife. HPD confirmed that they were currently in the middle of a divorce.
Court records show that Anderson is the special education department chair at Santa Fe Middle School in Cleveland ISD.
The district shared the following statement, adding that Anderson has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
“Cleveland ISD is deeply saddened to hear of the tragic domestic violence situation involving one of the staff members at Santa Fe Middle School, James Anderson. Mr. Anderson has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation. We would like to reiterate that this situation occurred domestically and did not take place on campus. Additional counseling and crisis support has been made available for students and staff at Santa Fe Middle School,” the statement reads.
