Investigators discovered the victim had been shot after paramedics initially responded to what appeared to be a medical emergency.
KATY, TX — A 61-year-old man died Wednesday after suffering a gunshot wound to the head at a home in the Katy area, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators are working to determine how the shooting happened and whether another person was involved.
Deputies responded to the 6400 block of Hayman Drive on Oct. 7, 2026, after emergency medical personnel were called to help a man believed to be suffering cardiac arrest. What initially appeared to be a medical emergency became a death investigation after hospital scans revealed a gunshot wound to the man’s head.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Walter Stensland told ABC13 Houston that paramedics initially believed the man might have suffered a heart attack before falling and injuring his nose. Deputies did not examine the victim at the home because the initial emergency response involved medical personnel.
The man was taken to a hospital, where medical scans revealed that he had been shot in the head. He was later pronounced dead, according to Stensland. Authorities had not publicly identified the victim in the available reports.
Investigators initially reported that a disagreement between two possible family members may have led to the shooting. However, Stensland later clarified that the two men involved in the investigation were roommates, and detectives had found no indication of an argument between them at that stage.
The other man, identified only as a 31-year-old roommate, was taken in for questioning. Stensland said investigators had not classified him as either a suspect or a witness. Authorities did not announce any criminal charges in the reports available Thursday.
Detectives also had not determined whether the victim was shot by another person or whether the wound was self-inflicted. The circumstances surrounding the discharge of the firearm remained unclear, and investigators had not publicly established a motive.
The changing information illustrates the uncertainty surrounding the early stages of the investigation. The original emergency call concerned a possible cardiac arrest, and the gunshot wound was not discovered until the victim underwent medical imaging at the hospital.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that detectives were investigating the death Wednesday afternoon. The case remained under investigation as authorities worked to establish the circumstances of the shooting.
Investigators had not released additional findings identifying who fired the weapon or explaining the events leading to the man’s death. The victim’s identity and the final determination of the manner of death remained unresolved in the available reports.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 8, 2026.