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8 Families Are Heartbroken After An Estranged Husband Brutally Shot And Killed His Wife And Friends At A Cookout

Spencer Hight was shot dead by a responding police officer.

The parents of one of the victims killed during a shooting in Plano, Texas, told police a possible motive behind the attack could be the suspect’s inability to move on from his relationship with his estranged wife. 

Months before the September 10 shooting, Spencer Hight moved out of his wife Meredith Lane’s home when she asked for a divorce, reported WFAA. Meredith’s mother, Debbie Lane, believes Spencer was angered after seeing how easy Meredith and her family were moving on.

"I think he saw our comfort, ease and happiness... and her embracing new life, and resented it to the maximum and responded the way he did,” Debbie Lane told WFAA.

On Sunday, Meredith hosted a party to watch football with several friends. During the party, Spencer showed up and opened fire, killing eight people.

Plano Police Chief Gregory Rushin said a responding officer arrived at the home and found Spencer upon entry. Rushin said Hight fired at the officer before the officer returned fire and killed the 32-year-old former software engineer contractor.

The eight victims have been identified as Meredith Hight, 27, Anthony Michael Cross, 33, Olivia Nicole Diffner, 24, James Richard Dunlop, 29, Darryl William Hawkins, 22, Rion Christopher Morgan, 31, Myah Sade Bass, 28, Caleb Seth Richards, 25.

Debbie said her daughter met Spencer after she transferred to the University of Texas at Dallas, WFAA reported. The two married in September 2011.

However, when Spencer lost his job at Texas Instruments, Meredith took on the mortgage of their home and quickly became frustrated by their relationship, reported the Dallas Morning News.

After she filed for divorce in July, she told her mother that Spencer had been violent on two occasions, according to Lane.

Lane also claimed Spencer Hight had a drinking problem.

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