4-year-old boy witnesses his mother being shot and killed

A 4-year-old child is believed to have witnessed his mother being shot and killed.

According to Houston police, the child saw his mom killed in an apparent murder-suicide at a motel in west Houston.

Officials say the boy went down to the lobby around 12:30 a.m. and told the hotel staff his mother had been shot by a man. His mother, 23-year-old Brittany Smith, died instantly from gunshot wounds.

A security guard went to the room on the third floor to investigate and when he got no response, he opened the door to find the woman and a man both dead from gunshot wounds.

Police are not identifying the suspected killer, but says that they believe that he was "known" to Brittany.

The boy was not injured, however he was transported to the hospital as a precaution since he was upset.

Smith and a man she had had a relationship with had been fighting over the phone for the past few weeks, according to family members. Smith's family members said the man was a Marine who unexpectedly arrived in Houston from California on Tuesday night.