Suspect in ex’s killing is shot dead by police

A Houston man accused of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend at a Christmas Eve party was fatally shot by police officers Saturday afternoon, according to the Harris County Sheriff ’s Office.

Two deputies who were tracking leads in the slaying found Simon sitting on a bench in Hermann Park around 3:15 p.m., according to law-enforcement officials. As they approached him, Simon began yelling at the deputies to shoot him, said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Simon then reached toward a bag, at which point one of the deputies fired at least twice, Gonzalez said. He died at the hospital a short time later.

Investigators later found at least one weapon at the scene that belonged to Simon, said Gonzalez.

Authorities had charged Simon in the shooting death of Carolee Taylor, 46, at a party Tuesday night where 15 of her friends and relatives were celebrating her birthday at a home in the 16500 block of Obsidian Drive in the Stonegate subdivision.

Around 8:40 p.m., investigators say Simon showed up to the party uninvited. He forced his way inside the house, witnesses told police, and began threatening Taylor in front of everyone.

Simon then reportedly took

Taylor out of the house by gunpoint, according to police. He shot her multiple times on the porch, witnesses said. She died at the scene.

Simon, who had been charged with murder in the case, fled and was on the run — until Saturday.

Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Troy Finner said though there were people in the park at the time the deputy fired at Simon, no one was in the immediate area at the time.

“We’re glad that no one else was injured,” said Gonzalez. “It could have gone a lot worse.”

Taylor’s family is relieved now that the woman’s killer is no longer at large, Gonzalez said.

“Carolee was an amazing person,” said the sheriff. “I hope she can be remembered for the way she lived her life, and not the way she died.”

About 40 people gathered to mourn the Houston mother at a candlelight vigil at Cleveland Park on Friday night. Houston Police Department officers were there to provide security for the mourners.

Taylor was the 41st person to die from domestic violence in Houston so far this year.

Simon was convicted of stalking a woman in December 1993 in Harris County, court records show.

Civil court records show Simon’s then-wife filed for a divorce in October 2014. The court filings show that a Harris County judge granted the wife a temporary restraining order in November 2014.