Investigators said the victim and suspect were neighbors and had been dating.
HOUSTON, Texas — Houston police identified 46-year-old Michael D. Franklin as the man wanted in the fatal shooting of 44-year-old Ladana Murrell at a Sharpstown-area housing complex Friday night.
Police said patrol officers were called about 7:50 p.m. to New Hope Housing at 6015 Dale Carnegie Lane. They found Murrell with a gunshot wound in an apartment entrance doorway. Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.
A witness told officers that Murrell and Franklin were in a physical fight before the shooting. Investigators said the two were in a dating relationship and lived near each other at the housing complex. Police said Franklin fled after the shooting and remained wanted as of Monday evening.
HPD homicide detectives initially said they were reviewing surveillance video to learn what happened before the gunfire and to track the suspect. The case moved forward after police publicly identified Franklin and said he had been charged with murder. Officials did not release more details about the alleged fight or what may have led to it.
The shooting brought a large police response to the housing complex near Sharpstown, a southwest Houston area bordered by busy apartment communities, retail centers and major roads. Officers focused on the apartment doorway where Murrell was found and gathered witness accounts as investigators worked through the scene.
Police said the next step is finding Franklin and continuing the homicide investigation. HPD said anyone with information on Franklin’s whereabouts or the shooting can contact the department’s homicide division or Crime Stoppers. No court hearing had been announced because Franklin had not been reported in custody.
As of Tuesday, the case stood as an active murder investigation with Franklin named as the wanted suspect. Detectives had identified the victim, the suspect and the location, but key details about the moments before the shooting remained under investigation.
Author note: Last updated June 23, 2026.