Shooting near Houston suburb leaves two children dead, two others in critical condition

Two children were killed and two more were critically injured in a shooting early Saturday near the Houston suburb of Angleton, Texas, authorities said.

The Brazoria County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that deputies responded to reports of the shooting and found two children, ages 13 and 4, fatally shot. Two other children, ages 8 and 9, were flown by medical helicopter to a hospital and were in critical condition.

All people believed to be involved in the shooting have been detained, the sheriff's office said.

"There is no ongoing threat to the community," according to the Facebook post. Officials offered no other details about where the shooting took place or the circumstances to that led up to the shooting.

Phone and email messages left for several spokespersons for the county were not immediately returned.

"While details are still developing, the loss of two children in such a manner is a tragedy," the sheriff's office wrote in the post. "Our thoughts are with the family and everyone affected as we continue to learn more about this heartbreaking situation."

Angleton is a city of about 19,500 and is the county seat of Brazoria County. It is located about 72 kilometres south of Houston and is within the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area.