Police: Sugar Land woman killed, suspected murderer found dead in burning house

By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM

A Sugar Land woman was killed in a domestic disturbance and the man who police believe shot her was found dead inside a burning house after exchanging gunfire with a police officer Sunday night, according to a city spokesman.

A Sugar Land officer responded to a call from house in the 4100 block of Issac's Way in the Chimney Stone subdivision in which a woman said her boyfriend and pushed her during an argument and she wanted him out of house, according to spokesman Doug Adoph.

When a police officer arrived at the house, he saw a woman and man running out of the house as the man was physically assaulting her. The officer saw the man pull out a handgun the ability to engage with our internal departments, the public, private sector partners, local, state, and federal agencies,” George said in a news release.

Prior to joining Fort Bend County, Babst served for 24 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, where he served as a chief warrant officer, as well as being a Surf & Rescue Boat Coxswain, Federal Law Enforcement Officer, Tactical Deployment Team Lead, a member of the Maritime Security Response Team West, and part of the National Incident Management Deployment Team, according to the release. Additionally, Babst is a and shoot the woman, Adolph said. When the officer told the man to stop, the man pointed the gun in the officer's direction and fired at least one round. The officer fired in response, although it was unclear whether the man was struck, and the man ran back inside the house, according to Adolph.

While police were cordoning off the scene, they found indications that the man might have fled the house. They sent an electronic alert to residents of the Chimney Stone subdivision warning them to stay in their homes and lock their doors and windows, Adolph said.

The woman, Lantonia Faulk, 43, was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and was pronounced dead.

While police were surrounding the home, they saw that there was a fire inside the house. The fire

Coast Guard training officer and has experience in law enforcement, HAZMAT, first aid, high-risk training, weapons, tactical elements, and small boat operations in all types of weather. He served as a Coast Guard first responder in more than 1,000 cases in the maritime realm as the on-scene coordinator for various types of cases. “I’m excited about this new role, and I look forward to continuing to build this response team,” Babst said in the release. “I want to thank all the department heads in the county for their support and our First Responders, EMS, the Sheriff’s Office and Fire Marshal’s Office, ESDs, the leadership, and all the rented out the Sugar Land house. department was called out to the scene, but because the location of the shooter was still unknown, firefighters were not allowed to go inside the house. stakeholders within the county who have supported us as we have built-out this response team. My goal is to be a value and responsive proactive multiplier for all coordination during all hazards in this county.”

Police searched the house while trying to keep the fire at bay and came across a body of the man they believe was the shooter. According to Adolph, both he and Faulk lived at the house. Adolph confirmed that Faulk's 15-year-old son was inside the house during the incident and is now with his father.

Adolph said that everything up to the moment the woman was shot is being treated as a murder investigation. From that point on, the incident is being treated like any officerinvolved shooting. The officer has been placed on administrative duty with pay, and that part of the investigation has been referred to the Texas Rangers.

At the press conference, both Bapst and George emphasized that the role of the emergency operations department has become increasingly important has the county has grown in population. They urged Fort Bend County residents to follow the Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management on its social media sites and at the website, where they can sign up for emergency alerts.

At that time, Meyers said in a phone interview with the Star, he was living in an apartment in Katy so that his wife, who had only recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer, could be closer to their adult daughter and grandchildren. His wife's prognosis had been to live for about five years.

Meyers said his intention all along had been to stay in the apartment until his wife passed away, and then move back to the house in the Sugar Creek subdivision where they had lived the majority of their married life and raised their children. During the time that he was in Katy, he

H WATERS FROM PAGE 1 excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus and metal salts such as copper sulfate. That combination feeds cyanobacteria, which produces algal bloom that yields toxins harmful to humans, fish, marine mammals and birds,” Balan said.

Removing these substances from stormwater is necessary for maintaining ecological balance and keeping communities healthy.

Other methods of cleaning the water have been proven, including aeration, sprayable clay suspensions, chemical and biological additives, and ultrasonic technology. But they are rarely adopted because of high costs.

Around the world, aquatic plants have long been on the job of reducing nitrogen, phosphorus, heavy metals and fine suspended particles within stormwater runoff, vastly improving the quality of water in the process.

Meyers's wife died in January, much sooner than had been anticipated. In the meantime, they had moved back to the Sugar Land house because of the redistricting, which he said forced him to break his promise to her that they would remain near their grandchildren.

Meyers told the Star that before he offered the item, he spoke with Democratic Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage, with whom he has served for the entirety of his time on the court. Prestage told him he would be amenable to the change.

Contacted by phone Monday, Prestage declined to comment.

To maximize the natural benefits, selected species of floating aquatic plants typically are nurtured by implanting hydroponically grown native grasses or wetland plants on durable synthetic mats. The plant tissue above the synthetic mat stores excess nutrients. The roots beneath release oxygen and provide a surface to support microorganism growth.

Even in deep or fluctuating waters, this configuration can treat a wide range of wastewater and help restore a healthy population of fish and other wildlife inhabitants. The first key step in the challenge is to select the best species for the task.

“Gasses such as miscanthus, khus and cattail have excellent nutrient removal potential due to their long rooting systems. Rice plants have similar structures and are cultivated as floating aquatic plants in South Asia to remove excess nutrients in ponds and lakes,” Balan said. “Once the plants are growing, we can stabilize the water’s pH levels by adding artificial aeration to the system, which facilitates the reduction of algae growth.”

In last week's meeting, Meyers offered the agenda item and spoke at length about his reasoning. The proposed shift of the two voting precinct would have had negligible effect on the demographic and partisan makeup of Precinct 3, while allowing him to remain in his home.

With no other discussion, when the item came up to a vote, it failed 3-2, with Prestage joining George and Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy voting against, and Meyers and Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales voting for. Meyers, who is 80, says he is in good physical and mental health and plans to file for reelection in November.

To get its many benefits, the system requires upkeep, including the regular harvesting of the plants. Also the synthetic mats need to remain properly secured so that heavy winds cannot topple and sink the plants. Balan and the research team are refining a system of grouping the plants and mats by wire, so the clusters can be moved to the middle of the watershed to maximize efficiency then pulled back to the shoreline for easy harvesting.

While the floating aquatic plants currently have no commercial value once harvested, the team is seeking ways to transform the harvested plants into biochar, which has potential to increase organic carbon in soil and other agricultural amendments.