Texas gunman kills wife, 4 of her relatives, then himself

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — A Texas man opened fire on his estranged wife Saturday evening, then gunned down four members of her family at a private birthday party before killing himself, Grand Prairie police said Sunday. The couple had been hosting the party at a roller-skating rink for one of their two children. Both children were unharmed.

The Saturday-night shootings that left six dead, including the gunman, lasted just moments, said Forum Roller World owner Walt Hedrick.

"Kids were having fun and all of a sudden: 'Bang! Bang! Bang!' "Hedrick said. "It was out of the clear blue. ... I didn't know what was going on."

The gunman, whose son was celebrating his 11th birthday, ordered the children to leave the snack area before he began shooting, said Grand Prairie detective John Brimmer.

Grand Prairie police identified the man as Tan Do, 35. He was pronounced dead at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas from a gunshot wound to the head.

His victims were his estranged wife, Trini Do, 29, of Grand Prairie; her two sisters, Lynn Ta, 16, and Michelle Ta, 28, of Grand Prairie; a brother, Hien Ta, 21; and a sister-in-law, Thuy Nguyen, 25.

No children were killed, but four people were wounded in addition to the adults who died, he said.

A witness said people fled the rink and sought refuge in a bowling alley across the street, some in socks, a few still on skates.

Within minutes, police surrounded the building with guns drawn, said the witness, a manager of a nearby business who requested anonymity, saying his employer had instructed him not to talk to the media.

Investigators have determined that Tan Do and Trini Do's marital problems led to the shooting.

"The suspected gunman did die of a self-inflicted shot," Grand Prairie Police Chief Steve Dye said Saturday night at a news conference outside the roller rink in a light-industrial area near Arlington.

Additional material from The Associated Press