A man broke into his estranged wife's home on Friday. He shot and killed her. He shot a police officer. Then he killed himself. Two kids inside got out safe.

The shooting started around noon in the Red Hawk Ridge neighborhood near Hardy Oak Boulevard in San Antonio.

Albert Nixon Richter IV smashed through a glass door with a handgun. His estranged wife, Brianna Nicole Richter, was inside. He shot her and killed her. Then he locked himself in one of the rooms.

Cops got there fast. When they showed up, Richter shot one of them in the stomach. That officer went into surgery. He is now out and getting better. His injuries are not life-threatening.

Around 3 p.m., officers went in and broke through the door. They found Richter dead inside the room. Both Brianna and Albert had gunshot wounds to the head. The Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled Brianna's death a homicide. Albert's death was ruled a suicide.

Two children were in the home when it happened. One was 8. The other was 12. Both were Brianna's kids. Officers walked them out safely. They were not hurt.

A neighbor named Randall Ashmore watched from outside. He said an officer came out holding both kids tight, covering them with his body. He said the officer was "bear-hugging" them as they came out the door. That image stayed with people on the block. Neighbors stood on their lawns and watched in silence as it all unfolded.

This was not the first warning sign.

Just two months ago, in April, Richter was arrested for attacking Brianna. Police say he choked her, hit her, and pointed a gun at her during that attack. She made a report. He was arrested. But the violence did not stop. It got worse.

Marta Parda Pelaez is the head of Family Violence Prevention Services in San Antonio. She spoke after the shooting Friday.

"Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of progressive power and control behaviors," she said.

She said the two children will need a lot of help. Both kids were in the house when their mother was killed. Both kids were carried out by police. That kind of thing leaves a mark. They will need a safe place, real support, and time to heal.

Cases like this follow a pattern that experts know well. When a man chokes a woman, the risk of a deadly attack later goes way up. When a man pulls a gun on his partner, even if she survives, that is a sign of what he is willing to do. Brianna filed a report in April. Officers arrested Albert. But she was still not safe.

Albert had access to a gun. He used it in April to threaten her. He used it Friday to kill her.

The Red Hawk Ridge neighborhood was locked down for hours Friday afternoon. People were told to stay inside while officers worked the scene.

The injured officer's name has not been released. The San Antonio Police Department is still looking into what happened and in what order. No criminal charges can be filed against Albert Richter. He is dead.

Brianna Richter was a mother. Her two children are alive. The officer who was shot is getting better. And a neighborhood is left asking how a warning in April became a killing on a Friday afternoon.

If you or someone you know is in danger, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. It is free. It is private. It is available 24 hours a day, every day.