The brother of a Richardson man suspected of killing his daughter before turning the gun on himself described a man distraught over a failing marriage who may have feared losing his children.

BEN SKLAR/DMN

A memorial sits at the Richardson home where Gerald Reed is believed to have shot his daughters before killing himself.

Dan Reed of Buffalo, N.Y., said Monday that his brother, Gerald Reed, adored his daughters and was not the monster some may perceive him to be.

"It just goes to show when you see it on television or in the paper, you jump and say, 'It's a nutcase.' This is a prime example it wasn't."

Police believe that Gerald Reed, 50, shot Delaney, 6, and Parris, 13, while they were sleeping at his home early Sunday.

Delaney died Sunday at Children's Medical Center Dallas. Parris remained in critical condition late Monday at Parkland Memorial Hospital. She was wounded in the stomach.

A semiautomatic handgun was found near Mr. Reed's body when police responded to a 911 call from his estranged wife, Nicole Reed.

Autopsies on Mr. Reed and Delaney were conducted Monday but results were not available.

Police have not released a motive.

"We may never know, truly," Richardson police Lt. Bryan Sylvester said.

Ms. Reed has been interviewed about the case, which is being investigated as a murder-suicide. Police are waiting until doctors say they can talk to Parris, who remained under heavy sedation. "Our primary concern is for her welfare," Lt. Sylvester said.

Stuffed animals and flowers were piling up Monday on the doorstep of the Richardson home in the 1700 block of Richland Drive, where the Reed family resided since 1991. The couple, who married in 1989, had recently separated, police said.

"There were things that came up in his marriage that I'm not going to get into, but it just went bad," Dan Reed said. "Apparently he couldn't shake it. ... The marriage just went bad, real bad."

Ms. Reed could not be reached for comment.

Gerald Reed, the block captain for the neighborhood watch program, had worked as a machinist and at Alliance Data. He continued to reside in the family home, while Ms. Reed lived elsewhere in Richardson. "The children were residing with her and visiting their father," Lt. Sylvester said.

Ms. Reed has been a part-time employee of Richland College since 1998, a spokeswoman said. She is a project leader in the college's Corporate Services office, which provides training programs for businesses.

Child Protective Services has no involvement with the family, and Richardson police say they had never been dispatched to the Reeds' Richland Drive home.

However, police confirmed that on March 11 they responded to an early-morning domestic disturbance between the Reeds at a home in the 1800 block of Morningstar Trail, which is near Richland Drive.

Dan Reed said the problems in his brother's marriage had apparently increased over time.

"I understand there were problems before. They had gone to counseling."

Gerald Reed, whose family is from Buffalo, came to Texas in the 1970s. Dan Reed said Delaney and Parris were the center of his brother's life.

"If I or anyone in family called him, he was with those kids or going to meet those kids," he said.

Dan Reed said Delaney was a charming 6-year-old who was "cute as a button, with blond hair and a Texan accent."

Letters were sent home Monday to parents of students at Springridge Elementary School, where Delaney attended kindergarten.

"Delaney was well-liked by her classmates and teacher, was a wonderful part of the Springridge family, and will be greatly missed," wrote Principal Megan Timme, who informed the staff and PTA leaders on Sunday and students on Monday about Delaney's death.

Dan Reed said Parris was also very important in his brother's life, especially during the years she was recovering from meningitis.

"This was his life, this girl. He'd been through a lot," Dan Reed said.

Grief-counseling teams were dispatched to Springridge Elementary School, and to Liberty Junior High, where Parris attends, to meet with students, teachers and other staff members, said Tim Clark, a school district spokesman.

Dan Reed said his family has been in touch with Ms. Reed.

"I don't want to spark anything. ... I knew her as a good sister-in-law," he said. "Everybody feels for her. Both families are decent families."

"This is a guy [to whom] you couldn't tell this would happen," Dan Reed said. "This wasn't him. He was solid. I don't know how long it'll take to sort this out. Disbelief is still ... how do you believe something like this?"

Dan Reed said his brother took great care of his children.

"He made smart moves his whole life," Dan Reed said. "He had money in the bank, and he said the kids are going to be able to go to college."

Concern over his future with the girls may have played a role in his final actions.

"I can only imagine the prospect of him losing his kids," said Dan Reed, his voice trailing off. "That's all I know he lived for. ... He wasn't a bad man."

Dan Reed said he's not sure why his brother would shoot his daughters. Perhaps he wanted to stay close to them until the end, he said.

"That's how big the issue was," he said. "That tells you how important those girls were to him. Where he was going, they were going."

Staff writers Kristen Holland and Scott Goldstein contributed to this report.

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