Texas: Teenage lesbian couple shot in possible hate crime

Two teenage girls in the US state of Texas have been shot in a possible hate crime, with one being fatally wounded.

Mollie Olgin, 19 was shot dead while her girlfriend, Mary Christine Chapa, 18, is currently in a stable condition in hospital after undergoing emergency surgery.

The pair were found on Saturday morning in grass below a look-out point. The Corpus Christi Caller Times said a local resident had heard two gunshots on Friday night but believed they were firecrackers.

They had been in a relationship for five months before the attack. Ms Chapa is now reportedly able to communicate with the police and help them with the investigation, which may be treated as a hate crime.

Ms Olgin’s car was said to have been found near the scene and her room-mate said she could not think of any reason why someone would want to attack the young couple. A weapon was not recovered at the scene.

Portland Police Chief Randy Wright told msnbc.com the girls’ sexuality was a possible factor in the attack, but this was not confirmed: “That’s always something that we’re looking for, but as of this point, we have not been able to establish that that had anything to do with the attack.”

He added: “It appears as if this was not just a random attack but that’s something that we really have to develop over time.”

The area’s last homicide reportedly took place two years ago.