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This home became a crime scene on July 4 when HCSO deputies say an intruder killed a preacher

(HOUSTON) — It’s a tragic Fourth of July in one northwest Harris County neighborhood after a pastor was shot with his own gun in an apparent burglary gone wrong. The suspect has been charged with murder.

As a pastor, counselor, pianist, gospel artist, photographer and writer, Donald Frazier spent more than 40 years spreading the word of God in his community, including counseling inmates in jails and prisons.

Early Friday, he was killed — allegedly by 30-year-old Daniel Durham, who was trying to break into his house.

It all happened around 1 a.m. at his home in the 4200 block of Amber Lake Drive at Brookings Dr. in the Deerfield Village subdivision.

Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies said Durham tried to disarm the home security system. We’re told he triggered a gas generator in the garage instead, waking Frazier and his wife.

Deputies said Frazier, 69, grabbed his gun and went to the garage to investigate. Somehow, deputies said Durham took his gun and killed him on the patio outside his garage.

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Frazier’s wife called in a description of the suspect, and a neighborhood security guard caught him nearby.  We’re told blood was on Durham’s shirt, shorts and legs, and he later admitted to the shooting.

Frazier’s gun was found in the neighborhood.

HCSO Sgt. Ben Beall said Durham was stopped earlier in the evening by neighborhood watch volunteers.

“He told them that his mother lives in the subdivision and that he was visiting and just going for a walk,” Beall said. “They didn’t have any reason to detain him, so they just let him go.”

NEWS 92 FM reporter Dennis Spellman reports:

A neighbor who lives across the street said burglaries are not uncommon in this upper-middle-class neighborhood.

“It does happen,” the neighbor said. “People choose this side of town or the neighborhood to go into garages and want to see what they can take advantage of — golf clubs, generators, anything.”

According to his website, Frazier was a man who wore many hats and used them all to spread the word of God.

“There are some of you who will serve with longevity, some with brevity; some seem to blossom, some seem to wither; some plant, some water, some help gather the harvest,” Frazier once wrote in an article. “Nevertheless, if you are called, do not allow anyone to diminish your sense of calling or discourage you from fulfilling your destiny in the ministry to which God has called you.”

NEWS 92 FM reporter Adela Uchida reached out to Frazier’s family for comment. His son sent us the following:

Thank you for emailing instead of calling. It’s been a nightmare of a day.
My father was an Ordained Minister for over 40 years. He was a man of deep faith in Christ and love for his family. He moved to Houston in 1988 and loved this city. In his recent years of ministry, he did grief counseling for Forest Park-Westheimer Funeral Home, The Hallmark, and several nursing homes. He was a published author, an accomplished musician, and had a Ph.D. which he used to provide counseling for people in need. He was irreplaceable. We are comforted by the fact that the perpetrator was caught quickly and will face justice for his crimes against my family & the community.
Thank you,
Jason Frazier

Anyone with information on Frazier’s murder can call HCSO Homicide at 713-967-5810 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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HCSO: Pastor Killed With His Own Gun by Intruder  was originally published on news92fm.com