Family mourns Montreal boy's death in Texas
Sister survives shooting while father charged with murder
Relatives are devastated after two Montreal children were shot at a home in Texas, allegedly by their father.
Deyan Perisic, 10, died of gunshot wounds Monday at a home in Coldspring, outside Houston. His sister, 12-year-old Danyela, is recovering in hospital.
The children's father, Predrag Perisic, has been charged with murder.
Family member Tom Moutheros said the family back in Montreal is in shock.
"They are beautiful kids, really angels … I'm devastated. You only see these things on the news. It just doesn't happen to your family," said Moutheros, a cousin of the children's mother.
'She curled herself up in the corner and got shot, eight times.'—Tom Moutheros, relative
He said the girl's mother, Vera Vucerakovich, is now at her daughter's side in a Texas hospital.
He said the mother managed to speak to her daughter following a nine-hour surgery, and called family members last night to update them on the situation.
Moutheros said the girl described horrifying details of the shooting, including how she tried to protect her brother from the bullets.
"She curled herself up in the corner and got shot, eight times," said Moutheros. "She is amazing. She is an amazing girl."
According to family members, Perisic met his now-estranged wife in Montreal and they had their two children there.
A year ago, Vucerakovich returned to Montreal with her children, and the couple became locked in a bitter dispute, according to family members.
Last April, the children were ordered returned to their father in Texas.
But in early November, police in Texas were informed that circumstances had changed and the children were to be returned to their mother in Montreal.
When it came time to hand them over, Texas police said Perisic had fled with the children, and officers tracked him to the house in Coldspring on Monday.
The San Jacinto County Sheriff's Department said when officers entered the home to arrest Perisic, they heard gunfire.
Officers found the two children bleeding on the second floor.
Grief extends beyond family
The case has been a shock for the community and the officers involved, said Sheriff James Walters.
"It's a very devastating thing. It's very hard on the community. It's extremely hard on the officers involved," Walters said.
In Montreal, grief counsellors have been visiting the schools that the children attended.
Counsellors were on hand at Gardenview Elementary and Lauren Hill Academy, English Montreal School Board president Angela Mancini confirmed.