x
Breaking News
More () »

Family, community look for answers in murder of mother of three in Temple

Neighbors and friends of the victim said their community is on edge.

It has been a violent start to 2018 in the city of Temple.

Police continue to search for a suspect who shot and killed a mother of three Wednesday morning and sent a man to the hospital.

Neighbors and friends of the victim said their community is on edge.

Temple has seen two murders in a matter of weeks. The latest, a mother, gunned down in an early morning attack and it is not just police who want answers.

Police arrived at East Young Drive to two people with gunshot wounds. The male victim was taken to the hospital and the woman, 36-year-old April Isaac was pronounced dead at the scene – A normally peaceful neighborhood turned upside down.

“This is usually a safe neighborhood, we don’t have no problems, all the neighbors are nice we’ve never had any problems,” Neighborhood resident Dana Hogrell said.

One woman who lives nearby, and asked to remain anonymous out of fear said she never imagined this kind of violence could hit so close to home.

“I said oh my lord!” the resident said. “I didn’t believe nothing like that happened in this neighborhood.”

Meantime, police are no closer to finding who is responsible for the brutal killing and are turning to the community for help.

“Right now, it’s a mystery,” Temple Police spokesperson Ellen Morton said. “They’re always keeping their ears open and anything that the public knows we’d be glad to hear it.”

Meantime, those closest to April turn to a higher power.

The pain is still fresh for Charles Maze, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Temple.

“She believed in the lord,” Maze said. “I baptized April, right here at this church.”

For many, sadness is only outweighed by something much stronger.

“Anger, to be honest, just anger,” Isaac’s friend Renada Simpson said. “because it was senseless and she didn’t deserve it.”

Her loved ones are making an emotional plea to a killer still at-large.

“Turn yourself in, why did you do this to her?” Isaac’s friend Rachae Ollison said. “Of all people why her…she didn’t deserve this.”

There are no solid leads at this point in the case. However, investigators said they know the suspects fled on foot, but so far, no arrests have been made.

Anyone with information about this offense was asked to contact the Temple Police Department at 254-298-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-729-TIPS.

Before You Leave, Check This Out