Motive a Mystery as Diner Suddenly Shoots Couple Then Himself at Houston Aquarium

He didn't appear to know them — and police even say a love triangle is unlikely.

A dinner date in Houston on Thursday night ended with the husband shot dead and the wife in hospital — and police have no idea why.

The couple were dining at the Downtown Aquarium and were just wrapping up their tab at around 8:10 PM when a man at the other end of the bar suddenly stood up, approached them, pulled out a gun and immediately opened fire, sending other patrons running for their lives.

The suspect then turned the gun on himself, taking his own life with a single shot to the head.

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When Houston PD arrived at the restaurant on the second floor, they found the two men already dead; the woman was rushed to hospital suffering gunshot wounds to her leg. She is in stable condition.

Having watched surveillance footage of the incident, Houston Police Executive Chief Matt Slinkard said the parties did not appear to be together, or know each other at all.

"This suspect got up, and in a very quick manner, went around the bar to the area where the male and female were together," he told reporters. "That suspect at the time immediately starting firing rounds."

Executive Chief @MattSlinkard Media Briefing on Fatal Shooting at 410 Bagby Street https://t.co/sWKshmc1BL

— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) July 9, 2021

"The deceased male immediately went down. The female who was injured went down as well, and then, from the footage that we've seen, this person we know to be our suspect that's deceased on the scene, immediately committed suicide with one self-inflicted gunshot wound."

"I do not know the relationship of these parties, or if one existed at all," he added. "From our preliminary look at footage, it does not appear that they were together. So this could be a stranger incident. So that's what we're working on right now; we have very little to go on except that footage."

He said they weren't yet sure if there was any words spoken or interaction between the suspect and victims leading up to the shooting, but added it appeared there was "very little or possibly no interaction at all."

Reporters even asked about the possibility of a "love triangle situation': while Slinkard said it was too early to speculate, he added "that would not be a theory that would hold right now."

According to reports, the female victim told police in her statement she had no idea who the shooter was. Slinkard said he did not yet know if the gunman intended to shoot her, or she was just accidentally struck as her husband was targeted.

"This is a horribly tragic incident," he said. "This is the type of situation that should make us all pause, send out as many prayers as we can for all of the families and all of the lives that will be affected."