Authorities in Texas are investigating an operation that reportedly resulted in an FBI agent fatally shooting a kidnapping victim in a Houston home early Thursday.

The Houston Chronicle reports that the ordeal started Wednesday morning when a group of armed men claiming to have cartel affiliations busted into a Trinity Gardens home and bound a man and his 12-year-old son. From there, the suspects decided to take the father with them, according to authorities.

“They were demanding money they were owed that nobody knew anything about,” Conroe Police Department Sergeant Jeff Smith said.

The child managed to break free and make it to a neighbor’s home, who called police. Detectives were questioning the child and uncle, who also lived at the Texas home, when the uncle reportedly received a call from someone demanding money and claiming to be with a cartel.

Despite this, Smith said there’s no indication that the suspects have ties to any cartel, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Smith said that Conroe police turned to the FBI, who obtained a federal warrant that allowed them to track the suspect’s phone to a hotel located in the Clear Lake area.

Though details are scarce, KHOU reported that gunfire heard coming from a Houston home at around 3 a.m. Thursday was related to the FBI’s ongoing investigation. Amid the chaos, an FBI agent allegedly shot the kidnapping victim, who was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Sources told the newspaper that the kidnapping victim was bound when he was shot.

Houston FBI Public Affairs Officer Christina Garza said that several people, including two children, were home at the time of the shooting but nobody else was injured. Garza declined to identify the victim or details about the shooting, citing an ongoing operation, KHOU reported.

Garza said the agent who fired the fatal shot has been placed on administrative leave. Meanwhile, the sergeant revealed that three people are currently facing charges in connection with the incident.

“This was not a random cartel thing,” Smith concluded. “It appears somebody connected to the family was involved.”

CrimeOnline will provide an update on this developing story when more information becomes available.

[Featured Image:  KHOU video screenshot]