‘Teacher of the year’ shot several times, left to die in backyard, Texas cops say

An elementary school teacher was found shot and killed in a home’s backyard in what police in Texas are calling a domestic-violence related incident.

Police in Sugar Land, a southwest suburb of Houston, were dispatched to a neighborhood around 9:50 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7, after neighbors heard gunshots, police said.

Officers found the 28-year-old woman, identified by police as Wendy Duan, suffering from “multiple gunshot wounds” in the backyard. She was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Police said a man has been identified as a suspect, but officers did not say if anyone was arrested.

Duan was an assistant elementary school teacher in the Alief Independent School District, where she has been employed since 2017, KHOU reported.

“We are deeply saddened to learn about the tragic passing of Alief ISD employee Wendy Duan,” school district officials told KHOU. “Our thoughts are prayers are with her family during this difficult time.”

Duan’s social media shows she taught second grade at Boone Elementary School and was named “MVP of the month” in September 2021. A few months later, she was celebrating being named the “ESL Teacher of the Year.”

This story was originally published January 9, 2023 at 10:52 AM with the headline "‘Teacher of the year’ shot several times, left to die in backyard, Texas cops say."