Nov. 17, 2008, 11:20PM
KEMAH — A man and his teenage son were in critical condition Monday after the boy shot his father in a dispute over a fast-food order and turned the gun on himself in the family's north Galveston County home, according to the Galveston County Sheriff's Office.
The 16-year-old boy returned from a fast-food restaurant with food the father had not ordered and an argument ensued that led to the shooting at about 3:20 p.m. Sunday at the home on Lazy Lane , sheriff's spokesman Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo said.
The boy shot his father once in the head, Tuttoilmondo said.
The boy's mother, who witnessed the incident, called 911, Tuttoilmondo said.
A Clear Lake Shores police officer entered the home, in an unincorporated area between Kemah and Clear Lake Shores , spotted the teen with the pistol and ordered him to drop it, he said.
However, the boy moved out of their view and shot himself in the head, Tuttoilmondo said.
Tuttoilmondo declined to release names because a juvenile is involved, but the Houston Chronicle has learned that the father is Robert Lee Mueller, 59.
Mueller and his son were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital , where they were reported to be in critical condition late Monday.
The shootings brought more trauma to the Lazy Bend canal community, still recovering from flooding caused by Hurricane Ike.
"Things like that don't happen here," said neighbor Carolyn Jenko, 61.
Neighbors said the Muellers seldom socialized with others in the community after moving into their home in 2007.
They also said they found it odd that Mueller's wife would walk the half-mile to the local Target store. Several people said they often saw her pushing a cart with her purchases past their houses.
"They are very reclusive," Jenko said.
Neighbor Susie Hickson, 47, said that when she heard about the shooting, "In my head, I thought something had been wrong in the house." Hickson said she once encountered Mueller's wife walking down Lazy Lane , saying that she had been ordered out of the house
KEMAH — A man and his teenage son were in critical condition Monday after the boy shot his father in a dispute over a fast-food order and turned the gun on himself in the family's north Galveston County home, according to the Galveston County Sheriff's Office.
The 16-year-old boy returned from a fast-food restaurant with food the father had not ordered and an argument ensued that led to the shooting at about 3:20 p.m. Sunday at the home on Lazy Lane , sheriff's spokesman Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo said.
The boy shot his father once in the head, Tuttoilmondo said.
The boy's mother, who witnessed the incident, called 911, Tuttoilmondo said.
A Clear Lake Shores police officer entered the home, in an unincorporated area between Kemah and Clear Lake Shores , spotted the teen with the pistol and ordered him to drop it, he said.
However, the boy moved out of their view and shot himself in the head, Tuttoilmondo said.
Tuttoilmondo declined to release names because a juvenile is involved, but the Houston Chronicle has learned that the father is Robert Lee Mueller, 59.
Mueller and his son were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital , where they were reported to be in critical condition late Monday.
The shootings brought more trauma to the Lazy Bend canal community, still recovering from flooding caused by Hurricane Ike.
"Things like that don't happen here," said neighbor Carolyn Jenko, 61.
Neighbors said the Muellers seldom socialized with others in the community after moving into their home in 2007.
They also said they found it odd that Mueller's wife would walk the half-mile to the local Target store. Several people said they often saw her pushing a cart with her purchases past their houses.
"They are very reclusive," Jenko said.
Neighbor Susie Hickson, 47, said that when she heard about the shooting, "In my head, I thought something had been wrong in the house." Hickson said she once encountered Mueller's wife walking down Lazy Lane , saying that she had been ordered out of the house
