In a shocking and heartbreaking incident that has rocked the Brazos County, Texas community, 52-year-old Nancy Winn and her 61-year-old husband, Gerald “Jerry” Winn, were fatally shot in their home on the evening of January 17, 2026. The couple — well-known for their decades of work in mental health advocacy and community support — lost their lives in a devastating act of violence.

Law enforcement responded just after 5 p.m. to the Winns’ residence in the Steep Hollow Circle area of east Brazos County after receiving a 911 call from Nancy Winn. In the call, she reported that she and her husband had been shot and identified her son, Ezekiel William Barajas, as the shooter, stating that he did not live at the home and that she did not understand why the shooting occurred.

First responders found Nancy in a locked bedroom and Jerry in the hallway; both were rushed to a hospital but succumbed to their injuries shortly afterward.

Less than an hour later, 32-year-old Ezekiel William Barajas was located and arrested by officers with the Bryan Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety while in a vehicle in the drive-thru at a local restaurant. Law enforcement recovered what is believed to be the suspected murder weapon from the vehicle. Barajas declined to answer questions and has not offered a motive for the fatal shooting.