Police say man and woman shot at each other, bullets entered child’s room

Published 12:48 am Friday, June 30, 2023

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A domestic disturbance between a man and a woman led to them firing a gun at each other and the bullets going into a child’s room while he was in it, police contend.

The alleged shooting occurred in 2021 at a home in the 900 block of South 23rd Street in Nederland. Further investigation occurred in April 2023, where a witness to the crime confirmed the shootings.

A Jefferson County grand jury this week indicted Cole Lewis Beck, 41, and Whitney Nicole Beck, 38, each on a charge of abandon/endanger child criminal negligence.

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Nederland police were called to a disturbance at the South 23rd Street home and Cole Beck and Whitney Beck reportedly admitted to firing at each other.

The man and woman had gone to a baseball game the night before and had gotten into an argument when they returned home.

According to the probable cause affidavits for their arrests, Cole told police he gave Whitney a gun and told her to shoot herself, then told her to shoot him because she allegedly said she would if she had a gun.

Whitney then fired two shots at Cole, who was standing by an interior wall shared with a 9-year-old male’s room. The bullets traveled through the boy’s room and shattered a mirror on the wall, then through a bedroom door and exited the room.

Cole then allegedly fired in Whitney’s direction, striking the wall near where she had been standing, the document says.

While police were on the scene, Whitney told them her child could have been shot in the head and the boy reportedly told police “I was sitting right here” but was cut-off from saying anything else by Whitney.

The child spoke with someone at his school about the shootings and a forensic interview was later done, as police believed Whitney coached the child not to talk about what happened.

Then, in April this year, a detective interviewed a witness who was reportedly at the house when the shooting occurred who said he heard loud noises and what sounded like doors being slammed. Then he saw the victim run out yelling that Whitney had killed Cole. The witness then went to the room and saw the bullet holes.

As of Thursday, neither Cole Beck nor Whitney Beck are listed as inmates in the Jefferson County Correctional Facility.