Texas mother shot dead in front of children on way to school

Samantha Lopez, 28, identified by KTSA News, was shot and killed while loading her three children in the car on the way to school, around 7:15 a.m. in San Antonio.

Police were called and found Lopez dead behind the wheel with her children inside the vehicle. Lopez's estranged husband was seen by witnesses approaching the family's driveway and was found at a nearby house.

The estranged husband is now in police custody but has not been charged yet. The estranged husband has violated a protection order multiple times since 2018 and was out on bond at the time of the shooting, KTSA News reported.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus spoke at the news conference Monday. "I can't express the outrage that something like this could happen after our involvement with this individual so many times," McManus said. "… I mean, it’s clearly written on the wall what’s going on here. And yet again, here we are."

On the subject of the protective order and protecting victims of family violence, McManus said, "If we can't do that, then we've failed as a criminal justice system."

According to McManus, the kids are now in the custody of the children's grandmother. The investigation remains ongoing.