Woman Tried to Help Her Friend Leave Abusive Relationship. Then, the Man Allegedly Fatally Shot the Friend and Her Dog, Police Say.

A Texas woman was trying to help her friend leave an alleged abusive relationship when she and her pet dog were fatally shot, according to officials.

Around 5:30 a.m. on Sept. 9, police were called to an apartment in Houston, KHOU reported.

Once at the scene, officers found a woman, later identified as 28-year-old Shantavia Reddick, with multiple gunshot wounds in the elevator lobby of the apartment complex’s parking garage, KHOU reported.

Officials said Reddick went to the apartment to try and help her friend leave an “ongoing domestic disturbance” before her friend’s boyfriend, Dimitri Humphrey, allegedly started shooting her and her pet dog, killing them both, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

Reddick, a third-grade teacher at Smith Elementary, was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Humphrey’s girlfriend was not harmed in the shooting.

Gonzalez called the incident a “tragic situation stemming from domestic violence.”

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Humphrey allegedly fled the scene in a white Jeep Wrangler and police are still on the hunt for him.

He is wanted on unrelated felony warrants, but Gonzalez said Humphrey will also be charged with murder.

Dreia Ward-Sampler, a Smith Elementary parent, told KTRK-TV, "She's going to be really missed -- a lot. When I told my daughter about it, her and all of her friends, they were like, 'It can't be. It can't be.'"