LIVINGSTON, Texas — A Livingston police officer was shot and killed by her husband in an apparent murder-suicide Saturday night, authorities said.
Officer Caran Renee Coward, 39, was found dead about 8 p.m. in a travel trailer outside her home in the 300 block of Knob Hill, about 75 miles north of downtown Houston, said Polk County Sheriff Kenneth Hammack, whose agency is investigating the case.
Authorities said they think she was killed by her husband, Randy Phillip Coward, 43, who was also found dead from a gunshot wound in the trailer.
One of the couple's three children, who was inside the home during the shooting, called 911 to report finding their father in a pool of blood, Hammack said, and he added that police believe the weapon was a shotgun.
Caran Coward, an officer with the Livingston Police Department since February 2005, was on duty when she was killed.
"I'm not sure why she went home at this time," Hammack said.
Investigators, who were still at the scene after midnight Saturday, are trying to determine the circumstances that lead to the shooting.
"There had been some family or marital problems and that's all I know at this time," Hammack said.
Valerie Reddell, a friend of Caran Coward's, said she was unaware of any problems the couple was having.
Reddell, also the Polk County Enterprise editor, said Randy Coward was a musician and a Christian Country Music Association award winner. She said he did construction work on the side.
The last time they spoke, Caran Coward told Reddell that her husband had broken his foot on a construction job and that the injury had impacted his ability to earn a living both with music and construction, prompting her to take on extra police assignments.
Hammack, who knew Caran Coward, described her as a good officer and hard worker.
"She will be missed by the Polk County Sheriff's Office and the Livingston Police Department," he said. "We've lost a fine officer."
Reddell said she'll remember Caran Coward for always treating people with respect.
"She was courteous and kind to everybody," she said. "She is a shinning example of everything a woman officer brings to law enforcement."
The three children — two boys and a girl — are being taken to their grandmother's home.