A mass shooting at a football watching cook-out party in Plano, Texas Monday, killed a total of nine people, including the shooter. Originally it had been reported that seven victims had been killed and two injured in the attack, but one victim has since died in the hospital, while the shooter was killed by police at the scene.

The shooting suspect has now been identified as 32-year-old Spencer James Hight, the estranged husband of the hostess at the party. On what would have been their sixth wedding anniversary, Hight took a gun into the party and opened fire.

Victims in football watching party named

The victims have now been identified by Plano police on Tuesday as Meredith Emily Hight, 27, the gunman’s estranged wife, Anthony Michael Cross, 33, James Richard Dunlop, 29, Olivia Nicole Deffner, 24, Darryl William Hawkins, 22, Myah Sade Bass, 28, Rion Christopher Morgan, 31 and Caleb Seth Edwards, 25. Many among the victims were reportedly friends of the gunman.

The Texas Rangers are now involved in the investigation into the shooting, as it involved an officer. The Chief of Plano Police Gregory Rushin said an officer had entered the home alone on Monday, killing the shooter without waiting for backup.

Rushin said there were multiple guns recovered from the property, adding they had never seen a shooting of this magnitude before in Plano, with so many victims.

Estranged wife’s mother speaks of the couple

Meredith Hight’s mother, Debbie Lane, told WFAA that the home where the shooting occurred was her daughter’s property and that Meredith had recently filed for divorce.

She said it was her daughter’s first party since leaving her estranged husband, where friends had gathered to watch the Dallas Cowboys' game. Lane added that her daughter loved cooking and hosting friends and that her estranged husband hadn’t taken it well that she had thrown the party and was moving on with her life.

The Dallas News quotes Lane as saying it had started as a happy marriage, but recently when they visited they noticed something was wrong.

On their arrival in the home, Hight would disappear into his room, playing with his computer. She said much later they found out their son-in-law had a drinking problem. Lane said that when her daughter filed for divorce, she did not request a restraining order against Wight as she had no fear of him at the time. She added that she wished she had.

Meanwhile of the nine people shot, including the shooter, one person has survived the incident and is still under care at a local hospital.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED