A cherished couple from Texas has reportedly been fatally shot in their home by their own son, who was subsequently injured in a confrontation with police.
Authorities arrived at the McKinney residence of Jackie Ragan, 72, and Leonard Frank Ragan, 73, on Sunday morning, where they made the tragic discovery.
Officers gained entry to the home through a rear door and found Jackie and Leonard, a former McKinney city manager, lifeless in their living room.
As the investigation unfolded, police encountered the couple’s son, 34-year-old Bryce Ragan, in a bedroom, armed with a gun.
Officers, facing non-compliance from Bryce to disarm, opened fire, striking him multiple times.
Bryce was transported to a hospital and is currently reported to be in stable condition. Fortunately, no officers were injured during the incident.
Officers were called to the property after concerned relatives requested a wellness check on the pair, as they had not heard from them for several days, the McKinney Police Department wrote in a press release.
Leonard Frank Ragan (left) and Jackie Ragan (middle) were discovered dead in their home on Sunday. Their son, Bryce Ragan (right) was found holding a gun in a bedroom (pictured in 2017)
The couple’s stunning McKinney, Texas, home is worth $719,000, according to Zillow
While police have confirmed that Jackie and Leonard’s deaths were homicides, they have not specified whether they were shot.
The murders are under investigation and authorities said there is no threat to the public.
Bryce remains in the hospital, but has been charged with capital murder of multiple persons and three counts of aggravated assault of a public servant.
Texas Rangers have also launched an investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
Leonard served as the city’s manager from March 2008 to June 2010.
‘Our condolences and prayers are with the family. We are unable to comment further while this is an active investigation,’ current city manager, Paul Grimes, told NBC 5.
Jackie’s heartbroken brother, David Foster, expressed his frustration and devastation in a Facebook statement about the tragedy.
‘What in the hell is wrong with the world today?’ he wrote.
‘My nephew has murdered his parents, my only sibling, the sweetest and kindest sister I could have asked for, who never gave up on me, and her husband Frankie, the most honest man I have ever known.’
Leonard and Bryce are pictured smiling together in 2010. Bryce’s uncle said he had a cushy life and could not understand what allegedly drove him to carry out the crime
Jackie was described as kind, loving and supportive by her grieving brother (pictured in 2017)
Foster claimed that Bryce was a ‘straight A student’ throughout his schooling. But despite studying engineering at the University of Texas, he never worked.
‘Mental problems have turned into a plague in the USA,’ Foster said.
He also claimed that he was the relative who called for a wellness check on the couple, and that police had shown up to the home three times before finally breaking in.
‘I am at such a loss,’ Foster wrote.
‘Bryce was 34 years old, no debt, over a million in the bank and nothing but blue skies ahead, and a loving mother and father who would have laid down their lives for him…. WHY????’
Meanwhile, the murders have left the typically calm and quiet neighborhood shaken.
‘Very shocking,’ neighbor Nate Barrett told NBC 5. ‘It’s always something you never expect in your own neighborhood. You always hear about this on the news.’
Former city leaders told CBS that Leonard was a hard-working public servant.
‘I was shocked,’ former Mayor Brian Loughmiller, who worked with Leonard, told the outlet.
A police officer is seen probing the scene of the homicide and the officer-involved shooting
Bryce was once a straight A student, but never worked a day in his life, according to his uncle (pictured in 2011)
David Foster, Jackie’s brother, reflected on the heartbreaking situation on Facebook
‘Over the holidays, the vision you have of everybody is: it’s such a happy time, a celebratory time. Just reminds you it’s not always the case.’
‘No words to make sense of something like this,’ said another former mayor, George Fuller.
Fuller then drew an eerie comparison to the murders of famed director and producer Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, 70.
The couple was found stabbed to death in their Brentwood, California, home earlier this month.
Their son, Nick Reiner, 32, has been arrested and charged with the heinous crime.
‘This is on the heels of a nationally known tragedy, you know, with Rob Reiner, and so when you have a family member, or appears to be a family member, commit this crime, it’s just really unbelievable, it’s surreal, it’s heartbreaking,’ Fuller said.
According to an NBC 5 report from June 2010, Leonard had abruptly resigned as city manager, though the reason is unclear.
The outlet obtained a copy of his performance evaluation before he left the job, in which council members described him as intelligent and highly competent.
Bryce allegedly refused to drop his weapon when police entered the home (pictured in 2011)
Leonard, who went by Frank, served as the McKinney city manager from 2008 to 2010
Rob Reiner (left) was recently found dead alongside his wife, Michele. His son, Nick Reiner (right), has been charged with the crime (pictured in 2016)
Leonard was said to have done an excellent job managing the city’s budget and leading his team toward progress, but allegedly had a negative outlook and tended to distance himself from his fellow staff.
But his honesty, ethics and integrity were never called into question.
Before serving as the McKinney city manager, he was the deputy city manager in Aurora, Colorado, for 12 years.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the McKinney Police Department, Texas Rangers and Foster for comment.
