A custody battle in Houston, Texas, ended in tragedy after a mother shot her four-year-old daughter and later died from a gunshot wound, hours after a court ruling changed who would have primary custody of the child.

The woman, identified as 35-year-old Cibelle Savella, had appeared in family court earlier that day over her ongoing custody dispute with the girl’s father, Aaron Savella.

According to reports, the judge ruled in favour of the father, giving him primary custody of their daughter, Vivian.

The child was expected to be handed over to Aaron later that same day.

But before that could happen, events took a devastating turn.

Houston police were called to the family’s home in west Houston following reports of a shooting. When officers arrived, they found Vivian with a fatal gunshot wound.

Savella was also found at the scene with a gunshot injury.

She was rushed to a hospital for treatment but later died from her injuries.

The shooting came only hours after the custody hearing.

Houston Police Department Lieutenant Larry Crowson confirmed that the court proceedings had gone against the mother earlier that day.

“There was a custody hearing earlier today that didn’t go well for the mother,” Crowson said.

Investigators believe Savella returned home after leaving the court before the shooting occurred, according to the New York Post.

The custody dispute between Cibelle and Aaron had reportedly been ongoing for an extended period following their divorce.

Court orders had placed a number of restrictions on Savella’s interaction with her daughter. These reportedly included supervised communication with Vivian, restrictions on her attendance at certain school activities and financial responsibilities relating to the child.

The precise reasons for those restrictions have not been made clear.

For those involved in the case, however, the outcome was almost impossible to comprehend.

Aaron’s lawyer, Charlotte Rainwater, said she had spent nearly three decades working in family law but had never encountered a case that ended in such circumstances.

The lawyer said the incident was unlike anything she had experienced during her 28 years of practice.

Aaron’s family also defended his actions throughout the custody proceedings.

In a statement released through their lawyer, the family said Aaron had followed the legal process and complied with the court’s orders as he sought to protect his daughter.

They said he had trusted the court system, obeyed the decisions made by the court and waited for the custody process to reach its conclusion.

Now, both father and daughter have been left at the centre of a case that has raised further questions about what happened after the custody ruling.

Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Vivian’s death and Savella’s fatal shooting.

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