Authorities say a 22-year-old man was captured in Waco hours after the shooting and initially charged with aggravated assault.
BAYTOWN, Texas — A 22-year-old man was arrested in Waco after authorities accused him of shooting his 19-year-old former girlfriend and her father at a home in the Baytown area, killing the father and leaving the young woman critically injured.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Guillermo Mondragon Rosales was taken into custody Monday, Sept. 28, after investigators searched for him in connection with the early-morning shooting. Rosales initially faced an aggravated assault charge in the shooting of his former girlfriend, while investigators continued working on the case and said additional charges were pending.
Deputies were called at about 5:47 a.m. to the 5400 block of North Redell Road in east Harris County. They found a father and daughter suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The father was pronounced dead at the scene, while the 19-year-old woman was flown by Life Flight to a hospital in critical condition.
The victims were identified by their wife and mother, Luz Aviles, as 53-year-old Leonel Pavon and 19-year-old Nelsy Pavon. Aviles said her husband had dropped her off at work at about 5 a.m., less than an hour before deputies were called to the home.
Authorities initially said the person suspected in the shooting had fled and did not immediately release a description. Investigators interviewed a relative who had been asleep inside the home, but authorities said they did not believe that person was involved.
The investigation later turned to Rosales, whom authorities identified as Nelsy Pavon’s former boyfriend. Gonzalez announced later Monday that Rosales had been apprehended in the Waco area. The sheriff said license plate readers helped authorities locate him, with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force assisting in the effort.
Texas authorities also booked Rosales on two traffic-related misdemeanor allegations. Gonzalez said the aggravated assault allegation was tied to the shooting of Rosales’ former girlfriend. Investigators had not announced an additional charge connected to Leonel Pavon’s death as of the latest available reports, although the sheriff said further charges were pending.
Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators worked at the North Redell Road property as authorities tried to establish the full sequence of events. A neighbor’s surveillance recording captured the sound of gunfire at about 5:45 a.m., shortly before deputies arrived. Authorities have not publicly released a complete account of what happened inside or around the home before the shooting.
Gonzalez described the case as another example of the effects of intimate partner violence on families. The sheriff said the shooting left a father dead while his daughter faced a difficult recovery. Authorities had not announced an updated condition for the 19-year-old woman in the latest reports reviewed Tuesday.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigation remains active. Rosales was taken into custody rather than remaining at large, but detectives were continuing to investigate Leonel Pavon’s death and determine what additional criminal charges, if any, would be filed.
Author note: Last updated September 29, 2026.